The University of Nice Sophia Antipolis () was a university located in
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million[France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...]
and neighboring areas. It was founded in 1965 and was organized in eight faculties, two autonomous institutes and an engineering school. It was merged in 2019 into the
Côte d'Azur University.
It hosted the first
WWW Interactive Multipurpose Server
The WWW Interactive Multipurpose Server (WIMS) (sometimes referred to as ''WWW Interactive Mathematics Server'') project is designed for supporting intensive mathematical exercises via the Internet or in a computer-equipped classroom with server- ...
. It was a member of the
Coordination of French Research-Intensive Universities, the equivalent of the
Russell Group
The Russell Group is a self-selected association of twenty-four public research universities in the United Kingdom. The group is headquartered in Cambridge and was established in 1994 to represent its members' interests, principally to governme ...
in the UK.
History

The University of Nice was officially established by decree dated October 23, 1965. However, it has roots that go back to the 17th century, with the Collegium Jurisconsultorum Niciensium created in 1639 by the Princes of
Savoy
Savoy (; ) is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...
. It was composed of a body of (law consultants and lawyers) and it lasted until Nice was incorporated into France in 1860. In the 17th century, courses were taught at its College of Medicine.
The University of Nice's vocation was asserted at the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the combined efforts of several university members, such as the Dean Louis Trotabas and Maurice Mignon. In 1933 with the help of local communities and the City of Nice in particular, they created the ''Centre Universitaire Méditerranéen'' (currently a conference center) situated on the Promenade des Anglais whose first Administrator was the French poet, Paul Valéry. Following that, the Institut d'Etudes Juridiques was established In 1938, the Institut d'Etudes Littéraires in 1941, and the Institut d'Etudes Scientifiques in 1945. La Faculté de Droit et des Sciences Economiques (The College of Law and Economics) was created by decree on August 2, 1962 and was connected to the Université d'Aix-Marseille.
Campus
The university has four main campuses: the Valrose campus (Sciences), the Trotabas campus (Law), the Saint-Jean d'Angély campus (Economics and Management), and the Carlone campus (Letters, Arts and Humanities).
However, the university operates on several secondary locations like
Sophia Antipolis
Sophia Antipolis is a 2,400 hectare technology park in southeast France, and as of 2021 home to 2,500 companies, valued today at more than 5.6 billion euros and employing more than 38,000 people counting more than 80 nationalities. The park is ...
or
Villefranche-sur-Mer
Villefranche-sur-Mer (, ; ; ) is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera and is located southwest of the Principality of Monaco, which is just west of the French-Italian ...
outside Nice.
Academics
Units of formation and research
*Law, Political, Economic and Management Sciences
*Institute of Law, Peace and Development
*Spaces and Cultures
*Letters, Arts and Social sciences
*Medicine
*Odontology
*Sciences
*Sciences and Technology of Physical and Sporting Activities
Institutes
*IAE Nice Graduate School of Management
*University Institute of Technology
*School of engineers
*University Polytechnic School - Polytech Nice-Sophia
*
Laboratoire de Zététique
The Laboratoire de Zététique (English: ''Zetetic Laboratory'') is a structure founded by professor in 1998.
Purpose and history
The laboratory is a Research center, research and information centre concerned with purported "paranormal" or "a ...
*Institute of the Right of Peace and Development (IDPD)
*Centre de la Méditerranée Moderne et Contemporaine, which produces the academic journal ',
The university's Institute of Languages also provides lectures and summer courses in French to foreign students.
Notable alumni
Alphabetically by surname:
*
Yukiya Amano
was a Japanese diplomat, who served as the Director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1 December 2009 until his death on 18 July 2019. Previously, Amano served as an international civil servant for the United Nations ...
- Japanese diplomat, Director General of
IAEA
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...
*
Robert B. Asprey – American military historian and author
*
William Boyd William, Willie, Will or Bill Boyd may refer to:
Academics
* William Boyd (educator) (1874–1962), Scottish educator
* William Boyd (pathologist) (1885–1979), Scottish-Canadian professor and author
* William Alexander Jenyns Boyd (1842–1928), ...
– Scottish novelist writer
*
Nicolae Ceaușescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu ( ; ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...
– Romanian dictator (honorary degree, 1975)
*
Adrian Constantin – Romanian-Austrian mathematician
*
Simon Critchley
Simon Critchley (born 27 February 1960) is an English philosopher and the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York City, U.S.A.
Biography
Critchley was born on 27 February 1960, in Letchworth, Engl ...
– English philosopher
*
Driss Dahak – Moroccan diplomat, General Secretary of the Government
*
Noah Dana-Picard – Israeli mathematician, professor, and Talmudic scholar
*
Odile Hembise Fanton d’Andon. CEO of the ACRI-ST
*
Jean-Lou Justine
Jean-Lou Justine (born 1955), French parasitologist and zoologist, is a professor at the National Museum of Natural History (France), National Museum of Natural History in Paris, France, and a specialist of fish parasites and invasive species, inv ...
– parasitologist and zoologist
*
Philippe Kahn
Philippe Kahn (born March 16, 1952) is a French engineer, entrepreneur, and founder of four technology companies: Borland, Starfish Software, LightSurf Technologies, and Fullpower Technologies. Kahn is credited with creating the first camera ...
- mathematician, technology innovator and entrepreneur
*
Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio
Jean-Marie is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
* Jean-Marie Carroll (born 1956), English musician and composer
* Jean-Marie Abgrall (born 1950), French psychiatrist, criminologist, specialist in forensic med ...
– writer,
Nobel Prize in Literature
The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...
*
Philippe Mariani
Philippe Mariani is CEO of Genesis Investment Company (B.S.C.), which was incorporated in June 2008 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House Bahrain (B.S.C).
Mariani was Honorary Consul of the Republic of Seychelles in Nice from 2003 ...
– British entrepreneur
*
Alexandra Martin – French MP
*
Zita Martins
Zita Carla Torrão Pinto Martins (born 1979), OSE, is a Portuguese astrobiologist, and an associate professor at Instituto Superior Técnico. She was a Royal Society University Research Fellow (URF) at Imperial College London. Her research expl ...
– Portuguese astrobiologist
*
Mohammed VI – King of Morocco
*
Tomer Sisley – Israeli humorist, actor, screenwriter, comedian, and film director
*
Fatoumata Tambajang
Aja Fatoumata C.M. Jallow-Tambajang (born 22 October 1949) is a Gambian politician and activist who served as Vice-President of the Gambia and Minister of Women's Affairs (The Gambia), Minister of Women's Affairs from February 2017 to June 2018, ...
– Vice-President of the Gambia
*
Gilles Tonelli – Monegasque engineer, diplomat and politician
*
Zeine Ould Zeidane
Zeine Ould Zeidane (; born 1966)
Agence Mauritanienne d'Information, April 21, 2007 . is a Mauritania, Mauritanian ...
– Former Prime Minister of Mauritania
See also
*
List of early modern universities in Europe
The list of early modern universities in Europe comprises all University, universities that existed in the early modern age (1501–1800) in Europe. It also includes short-lived foundations and educational institutions whose university status is ...
References
External links
University of Nice WebsiteSophia Antipolis Technology Park WebsiteUniversity International of Nice Website
{{Coord, 43.7170, N, 7.2665, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Universities and colleges in Nice
Universities in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Education in Villefranche-sur-Mer
Buildings and structures in Villefranche-sur-Mer
Educational institutions established in 1965
1965 establishments in France
Côte d'Azur University