Joint Press Release
14th March 2019
Sciences Po and Strathmore University announce a new partnership, launching a 5-year Bachelor and Master double degree programme. It is the first agreement signed by Sciences Po with a Kenyan university since the inauguration of Sciences Po’s office in Nairobi a year ago.
This programme will allow undergraduate students enrolled at Strathmore University to obtain a Bachelor’s degree from Strathmore University and a Master’s degree from Sciences Po in 5 years. It will provide students with the unique opportunity to experience different education systems and build professional networks across both continents. This type of programme has already been successfully established with other Sciences Po partners such as Johns Hopkins University (USA), Barnard College (USA) and Waseda University.
Beyond the double degree, Sciences Po and Strathmore University plan to strengthen the existing partnership through joint actions. This includes : increasing mobility between the two institutions thanks to an extended student and staff exchange agreement based on a strict reciprocity principle, integrating digital teaching and learning actions in Policy analysis at the Master’s level, and developing executive education programmes.
“We are very pleased to announce this partnership. We foresee the possibility of numerous collaborations with Strathmore University, for its diversity, vibrancy and global openness. The double degree that we have just signed joins the movement which is making Nairobi an East African university hub.” says Frédéric Mion, President, Sciences Po.
Organisation of Studies
The double degree programme will consist of a specific track where selected students spend their first 3 years at Strathmore University taking Bachelor-level courses and the following 2 years at Sciences Po taking Master-level courses. As such, it is an integrated Bachelor and Master’s programme in 5 years, compared to 6 years for a traditional Bachelor and Master’s trajectory at Strathmore University. Here, the 4th year credits are used twice to validate the last year of the Bachelor’s from Strathmore University and the first year of the Master’s at Sciences Po.
The double degree programme will be open to 3 different Strathmore University undergraduate programmes from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and the School of Management and Commerce, and to 16 Sciences Po graduate programmes from the School of Management and Innovation, the School of Public Affairs and the School of International Affairs.
“International education is very key in the world we live in. This partnership allows both students and staff from Sciences Po and Strathmore University a rich opportunity to learn from each others culture. This will broaden their world views and ways of thinking as they interact with one another. Moreover, Sciences Po is key as it is an international research university, both selective and open onto the world, ranking among the finest institutions in the fields of humanities and social sciences” adds, Dr. Vincent Ogutu, Vice Chancellor Designate, Strathmore University.
Eligibility and Admission
The selection is made according to academic records starting from the 1st year at Strathmore University and a strong motivation to study at Sciences Po. The admitted student will then enrol at Sciences Po for a two-year period. Each academic year, Strathmore University will pre-select a cohort of first class students for potential admission to Sciences Po. Sciences Po will then proceed to evaluate the pre-selected applicants. The students of the double degree programme will pay tuition fees to the home university they are attending.
For further information, please contact:
Eric Saulo: esaulo@strathmore.edu / +254720426699
Marie Frocrain: marie.frocrain@sciencespo.fr / 01 49 54 37 71
About Strathmore University
Strathmore seeks to become a leading outcome-driven entrepreneurial research university by translating our excellence into a major contribution to culture, economic well-being and quality of life. Strathmore aims at providing all-round quality education in an atmosphere of freedom and responsibility excellence in teaching, research and scholarship, ethical and social development and service to the society. www.strathmore.edu
About Sciences Po
Sciences Po is a selective research university of international standing based on the values of openness and excellence. Sciences Po’s unique academic model combines expertise in the humanities and social sciences, multidisciplinarity and a professional grounding to educate professionals and citizens able to understand and transform society. Diversity is a key element of Sciences Po’s identity. The student body comprises 47% international students from 150 different countries and 27% scholarship students, up from 6% in 2000.
24.04.2025
The Role of Universities in Advancing AI G7 Communiqué from the U7+ Alliance of World Universities
Preamble
We, the Presidents of the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, representing over 50 universities on five continents, are dedicated to addressing global challenges. We are committed to working with the G7 leaders to develop AI to benefit societies worldwide.
Our Alliance includes leading universities in G7 nations and in 12 global south countries. We value collaboration across diverse perspectives and cultures. As universities, we are at the intersection of generations, where knowledge is generated, and new, bolder visions for the future are imagined.
Universities’ leading role in Advancing AIUniversities are key contributors to the successful digital transformation of all sectors of the economy and in the wider society. Universities are the main actors in preparing a highly skilled workforce, and in driving innovative solutions based on research. In the face of the rapid advancement of AI-driven technology, universities, as independent actors guided by research, education, and service to our communities, can support governments to navigate this radical change and increasingly uncertain political context. Universities have large, multidisciplinary, networks of experts who can provide valuable insights for policymakers in all aspects of AI: the technology itself, its socio-economic embedding and impact, as well its governance. Maintaining collaborations between university AI leaders, government and industry stakeholders is crucial to making the best use of AI technologies, while minimizing some of their anticipated risks, including finding new ways to ensure AI technologies are more energy efficient.
Many key figures in the development of AI come from U7+ universities, and we host many of the hubs where the algorithms and tools underpinning commercial GenAI products were originally developed. Given this expertise, we can work effectively with G7 governments and other stakeholders to develop a more inclusive ecosystem to train and nurture the next generation of AI leaders.
As it becomes increasingly pervasive, AI will bring improvements including opportunities to address global challenges rapidly and effectively, in the areas such as climate change, health, energy transitions, the integrity of democratic institutions, and the future of work. To leverage these opportunities, we would like to ensure a broad ecosystem of innovative AI companies that span the globe. Universities, and the startups they often engender, are essential elements in such a vibrant innovation ecosystem. Governments have a key role to play in supporting universities through investments in AI development, deployment, and implementation.AI’s impact on the nature of work and the labour market is unprecedented. Governments are faced with a seismic shift in employment patterns and skill requirements across all sectors due to the integration of AI into the workplace. This will continue to raise challenges for governments to ensure there are fair opportunities for all, as well as a high quality of life and well-being. Our institutions’ extensive educational expertise and existing infrastructure can help governments create successful AI transition strategies across all sectors, and support workforce preparedness, through upskilling/reskilling programs both in the public and private sector.
The successful deployment of AI hinges on whether people trust it to deliver its benefits safely and securely. This underscores the need to develop a balanced approach to AI governance, encouraging innovation while also ensuring safety and security. The International AI Safety Report (2025) establishes an internationally shared scientific understanding of risks from advanced AI and methods for managing them. The spread of misinformation, including the creation of deep fakes, will continue to adversely affect societies, particularly at election times, increasing misinformation and enabling disruption in political conversations. Additionally, the misuse of AI technologies such as Large Language Models without adequate understanding of their functionalities, for decision-making in critical fields like justice, healthcare, or public welfare, can create public mistrust in authorities and in policymakers. Our institutions can play a crucial role in advising on clear guidelines to manage the risks of AI technologies, balancing innovation, and regulations to ensure the safety and security of their use.
As an alliance of universities from both the Global North and South, we are committed to addressing the rapidly increasing global AI divide. AI has the extraordinary potential to support local needs, in alignment with diverse values, cultures, languages and jurisdictions. There are currently disparities in the concentration of skilled talent, which also contributes to the global AI R&D divide. To bridge this gap, we prioritize strengthening and supporting North-South academic collaborations, developing training programs for capacity building, and enabling student exchange programs in AI. This will ensure that we build a healthy AI ecosystem where innovation and novel technologies can emerge to serve local and global markets. By virtue of their national and international core mission of education and research with carefully managed conflicts of interest, our universities have successful working collaborations with both public and private sectors, including the AI technology giants. This makes us vital connectors that can help build equitable and more robust AI ecosystems for the benefit of nations.
Commitments by U7+ Alliance members:
U7+ members commit to continuing to update and upgrade training pathways for all our students, not only those engaged in AI development, to sensitize them to new opportunities for the application of AI technologies as well as to risks posed by AI in general. Together we commit to sharing best practices and courses with one another so that we can build on our strengths as a global network.
U7+ brings together Global South and Global North members; we commit to working across the Alliance to ensure that we are creating opportunities for all universities in our networks to deepen their knowledge of and access to AI training and technologies, so that innovations can be developed to benefit all nations.
U7+ members commit to playing a role as trusted brokers for governments at all levels, bringing our research and training expertise to develop programs for governments to deepen their understanding of AI and its opportunities. By developing tailored programs, universities can train civil servants on opportunities to innovate and increase efficiency of government processes. Furthermore, working with governments, universities can contribute to mitigating risks to democratic processes and to individual/community rights and well-being by advising on appropriate policy and legal frameworks.
U7+ will continue to play a critical role in the responsible advancement of AI, by fostering innovation and creating opportunities to develop technologies that contribute to individual and population health, environmental sustainability, and socioeconomic prosperity, while also monitoring their adoption and implementation to ensure meaningful and equitable impact.
Recommendations to G7 and other governments:
Work with U7+ to create an interdisciplinary network of U7+ scholars and policy makers working together on AI governance. We envision this consortium as a trusted advisory body leveraging the knowledge of leading universities from across the globe to achieve two interconnected roles: first, it would support policymakers and government agencies to implement the AI transition. Second, it would address AI safety and security and would work closely with the emerging network of public-sector/hybrid AI Safety institutes.
Support the creation of an AI research and governance interface tool: Develop a trusted portal to share credible and rigorous resources for AI research and governance to support the decision-making of policy makers. This portal will address the current fragmentation of initiatives by providing a single point of access and verification for public authorities. Working with governments on key resources they are seeking, the portal will increase transparency, build trust, and ensure that decision-makers have access to the latest research-based knowledge on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of AI.
As governments, create funding support to inclusive innovation through strengthened North–South collaboration on AI training, knowledge transfer, shared platforms, and the development of novel technologies.
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