Created in June 2005, the Virtual University Environment and Sustainable Development (UVED) is one of seven Thematic Digital Universities (UNT) supported by the french Ministry of Higher Education and Research.

Despite its name, a Thematic Digital University is not a university in itself, since it does not issue a diploma and not of students enrolled. UNT therefore not replace the institutions themselves. Their mission, as part of the pooling nationally, enhance, produce, disseminate, and make widely accessible to students and teachers digital teaching resources validated scientifically validated.

After more than five years of activity in the associative form, the legal form of UVED evolved into partnership foundation to expand and strengthen its activities, in particular by involving public and private institutions. The order authorizing creation of the partnership UVED Foundation was published in Official Gazette No. 28 of July 14, 2011 of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research marking the act of birth of the Foundation.