Talk at Web Science Montpellier Meetup - 13th May 2011

1. Web Science Master 2011->
Université Montpellier 2
FdS-Informatique
LIRMM
Stefano Cerri, Madalina Croitorou, Patrick
Valduriez and the Web Science team (16+)

2. Historical trace
2004 : attempt to launch an Erasmus Mundus «Euro Agents » (Artificial
Intelligence) at FdS. 4 EU Universities contacted. Initiative: Daniele
Herin. Operation: Stefano Cerri and Fred Koriche. Reasons of the
failure: no money for paying the classes in English.
2006: attempt to launch an English Master in « Human and Robot Services
and Cognition » at Polytech (Duby). Stefano Cerri (FdS) and Maguelone
Teisseire (Polytech). Reasons of failure: opposition of FdS.
2009: attempt to launch a Master « Web Science » at FdS (habilitation
2011->). Stefano Cerri (FdS) and Madalina Croitorou (IUT MPL) (+ A.
Château FdS; C. Tibermacine IUT Bezier, M. Huchard FdS,
T.Stratulat Polytech, C. Dony FdS, T. Libourel FdS, I. Mougenot
FdS, J.Ferber FdS, F. Michel IUT MPL, V. Prince FdS, P.
Valduriez INRIA, E. Pacitti Polytech, Z. Bellahsene IUT MPL, M.
Hascoet FdS, A. Laurent Polytech, A. Gouaich IUT MPL, E.
Bourreau FdS, Vincent Douzal Cemagref, … )
Reaction AERES: very positive (call to UM2 for support).

3. AERES about Web Science Master
Web science
 Avis :
L’objectif de la spécialité est de proposer une formation en anglais sur le thème
novateur d’une science du Web qui va bien au-delà des technologies du Web pour
englober une réflexion pluridisciplinaire sur la réalité et les impacts du Web. Il s’agit
d’un projet en construction qui doit associer des partenaires étrangers. Ce projet
très ambitieux, sur un domaine novateur et qui contribue à l’ouverture
internationale, mérite d’être fortement soutenu.
 Points forts :
Thématique originale sur un domaine en expansion.
"Adossement au LIRMM, laboratoire très reconnu.
"Partenaires envisagés très prestigieux (MIT, Southampton).
"UE proposées en anglais.
 "Points faibles :
" "Le projet est encore à mettre en place.
" "Il manque une étude sur l’insertion professionnelle ou sur la poursuite
d’études après le master.

4. AERES about Web Science Master
Web science
 Recommandations pour l’établissement :
Le projet est très prometteur et mérite d’être fortement soutenu. En revanche, au
moment de l’évaluation, ce projet n’est pas suffisamment mûr pour pouvoir prendre
position. Parmi les questions importantes restant ouvertes, citons les suivantes :
Qu’en est-il des relations avec les partenaires envisagés ?
Cette spécialité sera-t-elle à vocation « recherche », professionnelle ou
indifférenciée ?
Dans les deux derniers cas, l’implication de partenaires industriels dans la formation
devrait être prévue.
 NOTATION (A+, A, B ou C) : B

5. Support: MANY THANKS TO:
March 2009 :
visit of Jerôme Galy (International Um2) to LIRMM
Project IMI (Internationalisation of Masters in Informatics)
supported with 3K€ in 2009
(one travel MC to Southampton, one travel SAC to Stanford)
Project Web Science Spécialité Nouvelle Habilitation FdS UM2:
Main supporter: Thérèse Libourel

6. Goals of the Web Science Master
initiative at UM2:
Widen the student's potential market
Enhance
the « international »
with Countries from the « north »
the Informatics
curriculum and organisation
focussing of the jobs of the future

7. Widen and better the student's
potential market:
“Bassin de recrutement” multiplied by a factor 10-20 to all
the English speaking communities
without excluding the French speaking ones
CLIL method (Content Language Integrated Learning, check
the EU web site concerning this)
High chances to select « the best students » not only « more
students » : attract international talents to France

8. Enhance the « international »
with Countries from the « north »
The « international » already existing at the UM2 (wrt pedagogy)
is *** mainly *** with Countries from the « south »:
Maghreb, Lebanon, Vietnam, Thailand, ...
Enhance it with a significant joint Master with Countries from
the « north » (Europe, US, Israel, Japan, …)
without excluding the Countries from the south (Brazil, India, …)
Erasmus Mundus if possible
(high chances to get it, but huge time and efforts needed: many
administrative pbs to solve + win the bid at the EU ...)

9. Enhance the Informatics curriculum
Usage-centered development of Web 3.0 : a science of the Web:
study billions of machines and billions of humans connected before
engineering infrastructures and applications
special fit to MPL's priorities in Agro-Bio-Health-Environment
Sciences
Southampton agrees to share the concerns
see Web Science Trust and Southampton-Oxford Web Science
Institute (30M )
Southampton: EE & CS;
Oxford: Humanities & Social Sciences
see also the Brazilian Web Science Research initiative.

10. Reshape the Informatics organisation
focus on research and innovation (no strong distinction)
less classes in presence (max 15 hrs per week)
much more personal and group study
dynamic content
capitalysing from richness of scientific events in MPL
when Erasmus then mobility ensured in Europe and elsewere
(US, Brazil, ...)
direct links with researchers
LIRMM A+ in France ,
but also organisms eg INRIA, CEMAGREF, INRA, CIRAD, IRD, ...
??? other UM2 Labs ??? UM1? UM3?

11. focussing of the jobs of the future
research and innovation in administrations and enterpsises in any
possible domain where the Web induces « virtualisation »
eg: distance work, commerce, learning, entertainement, health,
justice, politics, ...
high level of conception
difference with web technologies
synergies with application scenarios
abstraction with respect to technologies
strategic jobs, not just technical skills
(US: 80% of classical « technical » jobs are delocalized !)
technical immediate adoption of the paradigm shift introduced by
Service Oriented Computing =
Semantics (meaning is central in focus) +
Processes (distributed human and artifical processes) +
Agents (autonomous, distributed, heterogeneous, communicating,
asynchronous, dynamic entities)

12. Conclusion:
Need for a Curriculum Development project
Supported at the level of UM2
(even if under the initiative of the FdS)
See the following proposal by Madalina Croitorou

13. MERCI BEAUCOUP
GRAZIE MILLE
MUCHAS GRACIAS
HARTELIJKE DANK
VIELEN DANK
MANY THANKS