IP Paris, PSL, ESCP and the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) Launch the Chairs of Advanced Studies on Sovereignty
On 9 December 2025, the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP Paris), together with Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) and ESCP Business School, officially launched the Chairs of Advanced Studies on Sovereignty.
Co-founded with PSL and ESCP and placed under the high patronage of the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), this new initiative marks a major step in structuring research and academic engagement on issues of strategic power and sovereignty. IP Paris will draw on the expertise of its member schools, notably École Polytechnique and ENSTA Paris.
Understanding Tomorrow’s Sovereignty Challenges
In a global context defined by shifting geopolitical dynamics, growing technological interdependence and increasingly complex innovation ecosystems, questions of power and sovereignty have become central.
The Chairs of Advanced Studies on Sovereignty aim to analyse these transformations and contribute to a better understanding of the strategic choices that will shape France’s future.
An Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Initiative
Rooted in the scientific and academic strengths of IP Paris and its member schools, the Chairs adopt a resolutely interdisciplinary approach. They bring together expertise in engineering, organisational sociology, political science, international relations, defence studies, economics and technological innovation.
The initiative is built on close cooperation between academic institutions, industrial partners and public authorities.
A Research-Action Programme
The Chairs of Advanced Studies on Sovereignty will:
• develop high-quality research on strategic power and sovereignty;
• map and analyse existing national and international work;
• engage public and private partners from scientific, technological, industrial and economic sectors in joint reflections and projects.
As spaces for research, teaching and collective dialogue between public and private stakeholders, the Chairs will help advance strategic thinking on France’s sovereignty and its capacities in the decades ahead.