It is emlyon's ambition to become one of the leading Global Business Universities in Europe, in order to train players able to meet social, technological and environmental challenges here and now. "Confluences 2025" sets out emlyon's three main strategic priorities, namely a commitment to social and environmental issues, academic excellence and networked internationalization.

1- Engage in order to transform.


Social and environmental engagement now forms the guiding thread for all the school's training programs:

  • Based on the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the school is set to increasingly focus student training on issues surrounding the ecological transition, social sustainability and ethics. The skills repository of all training programs will be reviewed in line with the SDGs, by means of a label created for this purpose called “SDGs Inside”.
  • Starting with the 2021 fall intake, emlyon is making the "Climate Action" course mandatory for all PGE* students (2022 for BBA*) in order to educate the students in issues surrounding ecological conversion.
  • *Dedicated MS and MSc degrees will be created in these areas, in partnership with other higher education institutions, such as the "AI and Data Science for Sustainable Development" program in partnership with engineering schools.
  • The school will increase its recognition of students' social investment and responsible commitment, which is already a prerequisite for the PGE.

To promote social inclusion, emlyon is launching a proactive policy of equal opportunities, scholarships and the development of apprenticeship training.

  • The school is seeking to expand apprenticeship training and increase fivefold the number of students by reinforcing the CFA - Apprentice Training Center (with a target at 500 apprentices in 2024/2025).
  • The school aims to revive its Foundation and host 30% of scholarship students by 2025.
  • As a continuation of the "Multi-campus Multi-neighborhood Link" (TUMM) program, which was awarded a "Cordées de la Réussite" label by the Ministry for National Education, new partnerships will be created with high schools in priority education districts and rural areas to encourage young students to join emlyon training programs.
  • emlyon is launching a digital qualification school called "La Toile" (The Net), which will take 150 young people on board with no qualifications and low employment prospects in the 2021 fall intake, to train them free of charge in web-related fields.

As it will adopt a "société à mission" (Benefit Corporation) status in July 2021, emlyon will be reasserting its general interest mission in the school's articles of association.

2- Hybridize in order to understand.


emlyon is set to consolidate the scientific quality of both the Faculty and its research output. With 160 permanent professors, the school aims to attract the best teacher-researchers, to reach 200 permanent professors in 2025, with a goal of increasing the number of female professors to at least 45% by the same year. They will come from all walks of life and enhance the quality of the Faculty. The school will strive to promote and disseminate the Faculty's research work through digital publishing and lecture series that are accessible to everyone.

emlyon also intends to reinforce the hybridization of its programs, which is a powerful vector for expanding opportunities, inclusion, critical thinking and creativity. This desire will be reflected in the creation of new partnerships with renowned higher education institutions in the fields of art, design, human and social sciences and engineering, such as the partnership with Saint-Etienne Higher School of Art and Design, which will lead to the creation of a first summer school for managers starting in July 2021.

Three new institutes - bringing together training programs, research, chairs and socio-economic partnerships - will also be created to stimulate training through experience and the search for excellence in cross-cutting themes at the school:

  • Artificial Intelligence & Management Institute, directed by Yeming Gong, Professor in artificial intelligence, supply chain and data science. Under its new director and with an interdisciplinary community of 40 researchers, the Institute will study the business, managerial, social, behavioral and ethical implications of AI generated disruptions and those of new technologies.
  • Social Innovation Institute, directed by Michel Coster, Professor in entrepreneurship and Director of the emlyon business school Accelerator. This Institute will aim to make emlyon the world reference in Social Business. It will develop research in impact entrepreneurship, social innovation and “sports and society”. *Ethno-Institute, directed by David Courpasson, Professor of Sociology. A crossroad where the world’s social transformations and those of business meet, the Institute aims to feed both research and public debate. The works of the Ethno-Institute will be used to take a new look at society and organizations, thanks to in-depth ethnographic analyses of various fields (companies, public players and associations, etc.).

The above institutes combine scientific, pedagogical and financial resources that will grow over the years to foster their development both in research and training.

3- Live the world.


“Confluences 2025” marks a new turning point in the expansion of our international footprint.

Already established in Lyon, Saint-Étienne, Paris, Casablanca, Shanghai and Bhubaneswar, emlyon will be opening its seventh campus in Mumbai in 2021, becoming the first French business school in India's economic capital. The school also plans to expand in Latino America in the coming years. In addition, 190 international academic partnerships in 50 countries will enable nearly 2,000 emlyon students in 2021 to study in institutions of excellence abroad (on emlyon campuses or in partner institutions).
Furthermore, two new partnerships have just been finalized, one with UCLA Extension and the other with Berkeley. By 2025, at least 10 new double degrees will have been created.

emlyon is also setting up a special department dedicated to fundraising and coordinating the alumni network, called "Advancement & Alumni Relations", in order to create new synergies with companies and within the school's community of 33,000 alumni, a quarter of whom are located outside our borders in 130 countries (with strong representation in Switzerland, UK, USA, China and Germany). The actions of 250 alumni, "ambassadors" of the school, already regularly promote the school's influence around the world.

Last but not least, "Confluences 2025" will culminate in the opening (scheduled for the end of 2023) of a new campus in Lyon city center. This unique facility, at the cutting edge of creativity, will fully embody the different facets of emlyon's ambition, namely digitization, hybridization, engagement with socio-economic environments and an anchoring in the city.

For Isabelle Huault, President of emlyon: "Confluences 2025 marks a major milestone for emlyon, with the goal of becoming one of the best Global Business Universities in Europe, transcending the boundaries between schools and universities and between disciplines. All our efforts are now focused on our three strategic objectives, namely a commitment to social and environmental issues, ever-increasing excellence in research, and international expansion. As we approach our 150th anniversary, our ecosystem (students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners) are rallying together to promote the school and meet the challenges of the 21st century, here and now."

  • BBA and PGE (Bachelor in Business Administration and Grande Ecole Program)

Press contacts:

emlyon business school: Julie Guillot – guillot@em-lyon.com – + 33 (0)6 45 23 23 04 Bluesky PR : Peter Remon – peter@bluesky-pr.com – +44 (0)1582 797 956