SMU signed an agreement with the Université Paris-Dauphine in Paris on 12 December 2013 to launch an academic international alliance; the first of its kind. This partnership unites the two universities which share the same approach in education and research in the social sciences and management fields. Both universities believe in the crucial role universities play in society. The alliance will ensure an integrated curriculum, and shared research programmes. It will also increase student mobility, foster exchanges of the teaching faculty and will eventually lead to joint academic programmes. According to Prof De Meyer, this agreement is only the first step towards the creation of an international strategic network: a private club which will gather universities of excellence in Asia, Europe and at least two other continents.