- In Nice, a 25th faculty of pharmacy will open in France at the start of the 2025 academic year, under the aegis of Université Côte d’Azur.
- This interprofessional project brings together academic, hospital, union, and industry stakeholders from the region, with the support of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis.
- The training program is based on a curriculum focused on patient care, environmental health, and artificial intelligence.
- The official launch of the department was celebrated on June 20, 2025, at Nice City Hall, in the presence of the project’s main institutional and professional partners.
Official presentation on June 20, 2025, at Nice City Hall.
Official launch, this Friday, June 20, 2025, of the creation of the Department of Pharmacy in Nice, in the presence of:
- Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, Deputy President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region:
- Jeanick Brisswalter, President of Université Côte d’Azur
- Rodolphe Bourret, Chief Executive Officer of Nice University Hospital (CHU de Nice)
- Jean Dellamonica, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Université Côte d’Azur
- Rémy Collomp, Head of the Pharmacy Division at Nice University Hospital (CHU de Nice)
- Raphaël Gigliotti and Philippe Delaye, Co-Presidents of the Alpes-Maritimes Pharmacists’ Union
The meeting took place at 6 p.m. in the Chéret Room of Nice City Hall, marking the culmination of a collective commitment spanning several years.
A new faculty to meet the needs of the region
The ministerial decree of May 1, 2025 officially establishes the 25th Department of Pharmacy in France, affiliated with Université Côte d’Azur.
This project, supported by the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, the Nice University Hospital, pharmaceutical unions, the URPS PACA Est, the ANEPF, LEEM, and several industrial partners, addresses a national inconsistency: until now, Nice—despite its status as a major metropolis with a university hospital and a medical faculty—did not offer a pharmacy program.
Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis, Deputy President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region, and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Nice University Hospital, stated at the time of the announcement of the creation:
“I am delighted to finally see this ambitious project come to fruition, one for which we have been committed for years alongside Richard Chemla, my deputy mayor for ecological and energy transition, health and well-being, and Xavier Latour, Vice President of the Metropolis in charge of training, higher education and research, together with Université Côte d’Azur, the Faculty of Medicine, the University Hospital Center, and the pharmacists’ union.
The creation of this Department of Pharmacy in Nice at the start of the next academic year puts an end to an inconsistency at the national level. Indeed, Nice, one of the 12 largest cities in France, was an exception in not having a faculty of pharmacy within Université Côte d’Azur, despite already offering all major medical and paramedical training programs.”
An innovative pedagogical model
The new department adopts a competency-based teaching approach, structured around active learning methods: simulation, clinical immersion, enhanced tutoring, and real-world data analysis.
It will also incorporate contributions from digital technology and artificial intelligence in connection with 3IA Côte d’Azur. The training program aims for a gradual increase in student numbers, from 42 first-year students to between 70 and 80 students by 2028.
A strategic response to multiple challenges
The creation of this department addresses several structural challenges for the Côte d’Azur region:
- To offer high-quality training to young people in the region, in line with the needs of pharmacists, healthcare institutions, businesses, and the local population.
- To strengthen the momentum of health research and innovation on the Côte d’Azur.
- To support the attractiveness and economic development of the pharmaceutical sector, at a time when the region is experiencing a shortage of professionals and a decline in the number of pharmacies in recent years.
This project is part of the broader plan to create the future Health Campus of Université Côte d’Azur, in the heart of the metropolis, and aims to foster the emergence of an integrated ecosystem combining education, research, and innovation.
A stronger territorial presence for pharmaceutical careers
The Department of Pharmacy will be part of the future Health Campus of Université Côte d’Azur, located in the heart of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis. It addresses three key objectives: training the health professionals of tomorrow locally, strengthening the healthcare offer in the region, and supporting innovation in health.
By integrating the diversity of career paths (community pharmacy, hospital, industry, biology, research), the department aims to become a strategic lever for enhancing the region’s attractiveness in health education and research.
Sources: Université Côte d’Azur – Ville de Nice – Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur
