The Chantiers d’avenir: Addressing major societal challenges

Through its strongly interdisciplinary and collaborative approach, the Chantier d’avenir initiative has created graduate-level training programs designed to address complex societal challenges within a true “living laboratory” framework.

Addressing major societal challenges

In the face of major global challenges such as the climate crisis and food security, it is essential to rethink how society trains its leaders and mobilizes their knowledge. The complexity of these challenges demands an innovative, collaborative, partnership-based, and interdisciplinary approach. With this in mind, the Chantiers d’avenir were conceived — graduate-level training programs designed to collectively address these pressing issues through new training models.

Centered around societal challenges such as food security, climate action, organizational transformation, or inclusion and diversity, each program resulting from this initiative draws on the expertise of a research institute or unit, as well as collaboration between members of multiple departments and faculties. Offered as individualized professional master’s degrees or specialized graduate diplomas (DESS), these programs welcome student cohorts from a wide range of disciplines and sectors, fostering a unique co-learning environment.

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Building bridges between research, education, and the community

By bringing together different disciplines and building bridges between research, education, and various partners and stakeholders, the Chantiers d'avenir initiative offers an approach that complements traditional discipline-based education.

The learning experience is based in part on a project carried out within a partner organization, offering a unique opportunity to integrate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the program. These collaborations with a variety of organizations — government, community-based, or other — both locally and internationally, enable learners to work in a wide range of settings. They also promote the development of skills to analyze and design solutions tailored to major societal challenges in collaboration with partners and the community.

Collaborating and innovating for a sustainable future

Through the Chantiers d’avenir initiative, Université Laval is placing at the forefront, the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing the critical challenges of our time, with a firm belief that innovative, sustainable, and impactful solutions for our society and our planet are built through visionary leadership and partnerships.

“Through a co-constructive approach, I discovered myself as an agent of change, capable of adapting various skillsets to advance action on food security.”

- Clékaman Maïmouna Fone, graduate of the customized master’s program in food security

 

Since the launch of the Chantiers d’avenir initiative in 2018

  • 30 faculty members from some 20 departments across 10 faculties have been involved in designing and teaching 4 Chantiers d’avenir.
  • More than 60 faculty members have been involved in supervising student projects.
  • Close to 120 external partners — ranging from startups to major international corporations, as well as community and public organizations — have been involved in designing initiatives and student projects.
  • 14 student cohorts have been created, comprising more than 230 students.

Data as of December 2025

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