Thank you very much Mr Ambassador for your warm welcome.

Ladies and gentlemen, Madames et Messieurs, I am delighted to be here today to celebrate the long-established and fruitful links between British and French higher education institutions. So, thank you again for the invitation.

I am also pleased to share the podium again with my former sparring partner, Bill Rammell MP, who, as you can all see, remains very passionate about higher education issues.

During my tenure as President of Universities UK from 2007 to 2009, the Ambassador kindly hosted a meeting at his residence for me and some of my fellow vice-chancellors and the presidents of a number of French universities. Together, we discussed the effects on our institutions of what was then still only the beginning of the economic downturn. We also discussed the impact of government legislation on our ability to run our institutions, and the European Union's plans for higher education and research.

As one may expect from any meeting between French and British officials, we didn't necessarily agree on everything. However, I think all of us came away from the meeting with a greater appreciation of the diversity in higher education that exists between our countries. Our different traditions, modes of working, academic and research cultures have enriched the many students and scholars who have crossed the Channel over the centuries. Your attendance at this seminar today only proves the continuing value of student and staff exchange programmes, joint degree programmes, and cooperation in research between our two countries.

Dear colleagues, I hope as a result of this seminar today that the next chapter of Franco-British academic partnerships will be as richly illustrated and make such interesting and rewarding reading as the chapters that have gone before.