Co-founder of CRI / LPI Director of Engaged Life Science (ELiS)
See his biography
Key milestones
2006 - A vision takes shape In response to social, environmental and economic crises, researchers François Taddei and Ariel Lindner founded the Centre de Recherches Interdisciplinaires (CRI). Its mission: to train the next generation of scientists working at the intersection of life sciences, learning sciences and digital technologies. Their conviction? A new and distinctive approach to research-based education was both necessary and possible.
2019 - Our international action is initiated in partnership with the UNESCO. The aim: to lead a global community dedicated to the global transformation of education. Find out more.
2020 – First edition of the LearningPlanet Festival Co-organised with UNESCO around the International Day of Education (24 January), in partnership with pioneering organisations in education, culture, science, and social and environmental impact, as well as students and young activists from around the world. Find out more about the Festival.
2021 – Becoming the Learning Planet Institute To scale up its impact and respond to the planetary challenges identified by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), CRI evolves into the Learning Planet Institute, with a renewed ambition: to co-create a learning society capable of addressing the complex challenges of today and tomorrow. Watch the video.
2023 – Launch of the Learning Transitions Research Unit Jointly led by CY Cergy Paris Université and the Learning Planet Institute, the Learning Transitions Research Unit (UR LT) is launched, embodying the research pillar of the partnership. Find out more about the UR LT.
Mars 2025 – “Future of Learning with Youth” (FLY) “Future of Learning with Youth” (FLY). The Learning Planet Institute becomes the first United Nations University hub in France.
Novembre 2025 – UNESCO recognition The Learning Planet Institute is officially designated a UNESCO Category 2 Institute under the auspices of UNESCO. Find out more.
Janvier 2026 – Launch of the Learning Planet Academy. We bring together project-based learning, action research and Design Thinking to learn through experimentation, collaboration and purpose. Grounded in research, strengthened by AI and co-created with young people, our approach builds the capacity to act on key challenges: Environnement & Climate, Peace & Democracy ; Mental Health & Wellbeing. Find out more about the LP Academy.
If we are to be able to offer a present and a future that work for everyone, meaningful involvement of young people must become the norm rather than the exception (...) It's not enough to listen to them, we must involve them fully in local, national and international decision-making.
António Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations
We share the ambition of bringing together institutions and innovators in the field to co-develop and deploy learning solutions aligned with the SDGs.
Stefania Giannini
Assistant Director-General for Education at UNESCO & Administrator of the Learning Planet Institute
AI has revolutionized our world, crises are accelerating, traditional education is training for a world that no longer exists. It's time to reinvent learning!
François Taddei
Founder & President of the Learning Planet Institute
Jointly led by CY Cergy Paris Université and the Learning Planet Institute, the Research Unit aims to develop scientific theories, methods and tools to address learning transitions. Its work draws on interdisciplinarity, citizen science, collective intelligence and AI to respond to today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.
Building a learning society for a more sustainable world
Bringing together research, pedagogy and technology, this Chair supports teachers, researchers, teams and networks of stakeholders in building a learning society for a more sustainable world. It is grounded in a strong belief: that youth, lifelong learning and collective intelligence are the most powerful drivers of change in our societies.
The Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, our founding sponsor, has provided us with decisive support since our creation in 2006, through to 2024.
“Our Foundation has provided financial resources and day-to-day support. But François Taddei, for his part, gave our Foundation a new dimension, enabling us to think more deeply, outside the box, to take risks, to dig deeper into the training of researchers and to seek a greater impact. We have grown together for the better.“
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, President of the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation - Extract from our campus inauguration speech, October 2018
“An adventure at the crossroads of knowledge”
20 years of partnership between the Learning Planet Institute and the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller.
Our historical partners
The City of Paris and UNESCO support the Learning Planet Institute’s development and initiatives at the local level and the international level alike.
“We share the ambition of connecting institutions with innovators in the field to identify, agilely co-develop and deploy innovative learning solutions worldwide, aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.“
Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education
