Home>Advocating for Social Sciences in Higher Education: Sciences Po at the CIVICA Global Forum
09.05.2025
Advocating for Social Sciences in Higher Education: Sciences Po at the CIVICA Global Forum
On 6 and 7 May, Sciences Po joined a prominent European event on social sciences in higher education, organised through our European university alliance, CIVICA. The CIVICA Global Forum 2025 was hosted by one of the 10 members of the alliance, IE University (Madrid, Spain).
The theme of this two-day event, “Leveraging Social Sciences in Higher Education: Navigating Global Challenges and Complexities”, draw high-level speakers, including prominent figures in academia but also representatives from industry and politics. This European debate on the future of higher education included the important topics of European
competitiveness and the role of AI in enriching the academic ecosystem.
Sciences Po took its part in those pressing discussions through 6 speakers that made the journey to Madrid:
- Jean-Philippe Cointet, Director of the Open Institute for Digital Transformations and Associate Professor at the médialab,
- Arancha González, Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), Former Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs,
- Christine Musselin, Dean of Research,
- Jeremy Perelman, Vice President of International Affairs and Marie Azuelos, Deputy Vice President for International Affairs,
- Dina Waked, Dean the School of Research.
> Discover our selection of 6 inspiring quotes from key speakers at the forum:
« Social sciences must be integrated when conceiving technologies. Because technology is not only technology: it’s also politics. »
Christine Musselin
Dean of Research at Sciences Po
« Universities need to show how they are socially relevant to citizens … It is important, as institutional actors, that we also show our relevance on the European level. »
Jeremy Perelman
Vice President of International Affairs at Sciences Po
« The European Union is not only a place of goods and markets, but a place where talent, innovation, and research can move freely. »
Arancha González Laya
Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs at Sciences Po
« We all share a commitment to academic excellence, democratic values, and global cooperation through the CIVICA transnational space. »
Manuel Muñiz
Provost of IE University
« Transmitting knowledge and training future decision makers for a better world is the academic ambition that is at the core of our universities. »
Cornelia Woll
President of the Hertie School, Former President of Sciences Po Academic Board
« The future of Europe is not only in the hands of the European Council. It is in your hands. We have to be at the level of this ambition. »
Enrico Letta
Dean of IE School of Politics, Former Prime Minister of Italy, Former Dean of PSIA
CIVICA – The European University of Social Sciences unites ten leading European higher education institutions in the social sciences, humanities, business management, and public policy, with a total of 72,000 students & PhDs and 13,000 academic staff.
Its members are Bocconi University (Italy), Central European University (Austria), European University Institute (Italy), Hertie School (Germany), IE University (Spain), National University of Political Studies and Public Administration – SNSPA (Romania), Sciences Po (France), SGH Warsaw School of Economics (Poland), Stockholm School of Economics – SSE (Sweden), and The London School of Economics and Political Science – LSE (United Kingdom).
