Building Bridges Campaign
Building Bridges : From Toulouse to the world
Capitalizing on the achievements of two foundational fundraising campaigns (2008–2012 and 2016–2020) that anchored TSE’s distinctive public-private partnership in France and cemented its reputation as a global reference, Building Bridges carries this vision forward.
Deployed both in France and globally, this third campaign invites our donors to foster new economic solutions and help train the leaders who will shape a more human-centered and sustainable economy. By building up our endowment, the campaign strengthens our financial foundation, ensuring the long-term sustainability of our research, our scientific independence, and our ability to fulfill our mission free from political uncertainties.
Campaign objectives
TSE is driven by a core conviction: the next frontier in social sciences will be computational, interdisciplinary, and data intensive. Over the next decade, TSE aims to master these challenges and establish an alternative European model to top Anglo-Saxon universities combining scientific excellence, public commitment, and intellectual independence.
TSE’s ambition is to stand among the world-class institutions capable of tackling today's greatest challenges. The TSE 2035 strategic roadmap provides our path forward, powered by the success of this third fundraising campaign.
A Strategy Structured Around 3 Priorities
TSE will expand methodological boundaries in the social sciences by combining interdisciplinary expertise with the large-scale application of AI. We will foster stronger synergies between economics, mathematics, social sciences, and AI. Leveraging unstructured data will drive a major breakthrough in scientific knowledge, accelerating the rise of modern computational social science.
Moving beyond basic cross-disciplinary collaboration, TSE will create permanent hybrid research teams focusing on shared challenges (such as climate change, inequality, democracy & information, and healthcare & aging). These teams will help design innovative public policies, foster breakthrough solutions, and elevate public debate.
We aim to attract top international talent through a post-AI educational framework that nurtures diverse abilities while maintaining academic rigor. Our graduates, true social science engineers, will combine quantitative expertise with institutional acumen to manage complex systems in service of the common good.
Four Strategic Pillars for Lasting Impact
Building Bridges is more than a fundraising drive: it is a transformative project for TSE and for economic research across Europe and worldwide.
Structured around four strategic pillars, the campaign aims to simultaneously strengthen our academic programs, deepen our research, enhance our corporate partnerships, and secure our scientific independence. Together, these initiatives support a shared vision: building an institution capable of addressing key economic and societal challenges, educating future decision-makers, and shaping long-term solutions with full intellectual freedom.
TSE aims to offer French and international students an expanded suite of high-caliber, quantitative, and forward-looking degree programs. This relies on developing AI-enhanced learning—including personalized study tracks, hybrid learning environments, and an emphasis on critical thinking and soft skills. We are also expanding our global reach, targeting 50% non-EU students and building a global network of dual degrees and partner campuses. Additionally, TSE is expanding its Executive Education programs for senior leaders and introducing lifelong learning programs for alumni.
TSE's scientific mission is to push the boundaries of quantitative social science research through AI and deep interdisciplinary collaboration. To support this vision, the Foundation will enhance Toulouse’s appeal to top international economists and accelerate the recruitment of hybrid faculty profiles. We are investing in world-class data and AI infrastructure—such as dedicated data lakes and high-performance computing (HPC) tools—to secure independent research capabilities. Finally, TSE will establish a public policy expertise center dedicated to the common good.
TSE aims to maximize the impact of its corporate and institutional partnerships by tackling emerging business and societal challenges. At the core of this initiative is a new Policy Lab, designed to bridge the gap between scientific research and decision-making by delivering actionable policy briefs and strategic recommendations to international bodies and leaders in both the public and private sectors.
Securing TSE’s intellectual and financial independence is essential to its global standing. The Foundation will progressively create ten endowed chairs under an innovative funding model for continental Europe, attracting top-tier global talent. We will also diversify operational revenue through new academic programs designed for international students. Beyond TSE, this strategic pillar supports a broader mission: strengthening scientific sovereignty for France and Europe by contributing to a world-class research university in Toulouse and building strategic alliances with like-minded European institutions.
Join Building Bridges
Whether you are a corporation, an institution, a foundation, or an individual: Building Bridges is open to all who want to give economic research the resources to match its ambitions.
Whether you represent a business looking to ground its strategy in cutting-edge economic insights, a foundation dedicated to safeguarding scientific independence, or an individual who believes in the power of knowledge, your support makes a direct impact.
By supporting the campaign, you join the TSE Partners Club, an exclusive network of engaged donors with direct access to our researchers, insights, flagship events, publications, and strategic analysis.
Together, let us build bridges to a fairer, more sustainable economy.