The CNRS-L and AUF scholarship ceremony for USJ PhD students was held on 29 October 2018 at the Campus of Sports and Innovation (CIS) in the presence of Prof Salim Daccache, s.j., Rector of USJ, Vice-Rectors Dolla Sarkis, Wajdi Najm, Toufic Rizk, and Carla Edde, Prof Michel Scheuer s.j., Prof Richard Maroun, Dean of the Faculty of Sciences, Prof. Georges Tohmé, Chairman of the CNRS Board of Directors, Prof  Mouïn Hamzé, Secretary General of the CNRS, and Prof Hervé Sabourin, Director of the AUF Middle East Office.

In her speech, Mrs. Dolla Sarkis, Vice-Rector of Research, first announced that 12 fellowships will be awarded under the CNRS-USJ program and that 2 fellowships will be awarded under the AUF-CNRS-USJ program. She then went on to congratulate the fellows and thanked the CNRS and the AUF for their close collaboration with USJ, especially in the field of research.

She also mentioned that the novelty lies in the fact that with these two institutions, the CNRS and the AUF, work will be more project- and theme-based: “The theme is of major importance in the evaluation of a research project submitted for funding or scholarship with AUF, CNRS or CEDRE. We also give it importance at USJ: we want to focus more and more on themes with benefits for society and themes that deal with some problems that citizens face every day. We will also focus on topics related to the world of work and the needs of the Lebanese labor market, and we will work to transform cotutelles (joint sponsorships) into real partnerships with international teams with all the positive effects in terms of the publications that this partnership could generate.”

“For the first time since the launch of this program, we have reached the maximum amount prescribed in the co-financing agreement of doctoral scholarships: twelve CNRS-L/USJ bilateral fellowships in addition to 2 scholarships under the tripartite agreement with the AUF. These 14 new scholarships represent more than 25% of all the scholarships awarded by the CNRS-L in 2018, and with those of previous years, USJ holds 23% of the total current scholarships, thus exceeding all the other universities,” said Prof. Mouïn Hamzé.

Prof. Hamzé congratulated both the professors-researchers and the doctoral students for this wonderful feat, giving them a little piece of advice, “Do not forget that human supremacy owes above all to the emotional intelligence that preserves the heart’s place alongside that of the brain. While you will be happy to carry the highest university degree, it is important to keep in mind that scientific vocations must be above all humanistic and aiming for a better future. You must also know that it will be your responsibility - towards everyone - to be the guarantors of a scientific process that respects ethics and deontology, so that Knowledge can keep its universal value.”

In addition, Hervé Sabourin, Director of the AUF Middle East Office, expressed his pleasure at celebrating these doctoral awards for two reasons: “First, because this day symbolizes research which, in my opinion, represents the very foundation of our institutions; research is the answer to excellence, innovation, and academic training; research is the answer to all the societal challenges we face. Second, because I am very happy to celebrate a remarkable partnership between the two major institutions of USJ and CNRS. The collaboration between USJ and the AUF is one between Francophones, between institutions that are willing to go the extra mile for the benefit of professors, the university, and its students. Not to mention that with the Lebanese CNRS, we have yet to cease finding more and more solutions that fall in favor of research.”

Finally, Prof. Salim Daccache, s.j., welcomed the young doctoral students “who decided to take a qualitative leap in their lives to the USJ- CNRS and AUF doctoral scholarship club.”

“Three from ESIB, two from FM, four from FPH, five from FS: the harvest is beautiful and promising. We would have liked for there to be a more complementary mix of faculties and institutes of social sciences and humanities, more students of literature and language, because struggling parents do not have the financial resources for their children to undertake scientific research and benefit from its visibility, thus paving the way for a brighter future,” he emphasized, before wishing the doctoral students great success not only in terms of receiving a diploma but also because they are to become literal doctors, in the etymological sense of the word: the Latin docere means to teach - they are to become the teachers and the role models of generations to come.