CUSO in a few words
The Conférence universitaire romande (CUR, renamed CUSO in 1994) was created on the initiative of the Conférence intercantonale (romande) de l'Instruction publique. It was officially created in 1969 with the signing of the first agreement between the departments of education in French-speaking Switzerland. At the same time, the first scientific commissions for postgraduate studies appeared, thus providing an institutional framework for the shared doctoral training of the French-speaking universities. As of 2009, joint and permanent doctoral programmes were progressively set up, constituting the first elements of a doctoral training landscape in Western Switzerland. More than fifty years later, CUSO brings together the universities of French-speaking Switzerland (Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne and Neuchâtel, as well as the IHEID in Geneva), as well as the ISDC in Lausanne, an associate member. But its activities extend to other partners, such as the University of Bern, which participates in certain programmes. CUSO resolutely affirms the common will of the rectorates to offer all doctoral candidates structured programmes to accompany their training and to favour the start of their career, whether in the academic sector or outside it. The institutional basis of CUSO takes into account university autonomy in academic choices. The current agreement, which came into force on 1 January 2009, is binding only on the universities, as the political leaders have chosen to let the universities assume full responsibility for their cooperation.