L-R: Claude Meisch, Luxembourg's Minister of Higher Education and Research; Pierre-Luc Desgagné, Quebec's Delegate General in Brussels; Credit: MESR

On Thursday 30 January 2020, Luxembourg's Minister of Higher Education and Research, Claude Meisch, received Quebec's Delegate General in Brussels, Pierre-Luc Desgagné, to discuss a strengthening of relations between Luxembourg and Quebec in the field of higher education and research.

This meeting formed part of current negotiations aimed at establishing an agreement promoting research collaborations and exchanges of researchers as well as collaboration in the field of higher education between the research institutions of Luxembourg and Quebec, in addition to an existing agreement in the field of higher education.

The existing agreement provides, among other things, for grants in the form of exemptions from additional tuition fees in Quebec for Luxembourg students and grants for Quebec students and researchers for Masters or PhD studies or post-level research stays at the post-doctorate level in Luxembourg. This agreement is also under discussion for renewal.

These exchanges follow a visit to Luxembourg in May 2018 by the Chief Scientist of Quebec, Rémi Quirion, and missions undertaken by Luxembourg public research institutions in Quebec (February 2019) and by Quebec institutions in Luxembourg (September 2019).