A look back at the New Year ceremony on January 9

On Thursday January 9, a large number of staff came together for the traditional New Year ceremony to hear from Christian Vigouroux, Chairman of the Institut Pasteur Board of Directors, Stewart Cole, President of the Institut Pasteur, and Erik Orsenna, Institut Pasteur Ambassador.

This event, which many of you attended, was an opportunity for Christian Vigouroux to express his appreciation at the efforts of Institut Pasteur staff during this difficult time of industrial action and transport disruptions, and to reiterate the determination of the Board of Directors, the President and all staff to implement the Strategic Plan and realize the shared ambition of combating infectious diseases. Christian Vigouroux went on to list six priority areas that the members of the Board of Directors will be focusing on this year to ensure the long-term development, independence and scientific excellence of the Institut Pasteur: cohesion, ambition, visibility in society, safety/vigilance/reputation, finance, and international reach.

In his speech, Stewart Cole thanked the Board of Directors, outlined his own missions and spoke about the considerable work already achieved in line with the Strategic Plan. The creation of new laboratories and G5s, gender equality, recruitments in 2019, the second phase of the NanoImaging project, and of course the opening of the Hearing Institute are just some of the major accomplishments to date. Stewart Cole reminded staff of the unwavering and incredibly generous support of the public in 2019, as demonstrated through events such as Pasteurdon and the Z Event. He also expressed his determination to step up the Institut Pasteur's efforts in the area of environmental protection and sustainable development, in connection with the implementation of the real estate master plan.
Stewart Cole thanked each and every individual at the Institut Pasteur with these words: "The work of a President and his team would come to nothing without the commitment and investment of all staff, regardless of their task or role in the organization. What counts is the combined action of all the Institut Pasteur's teams – the research teams, of course, but also all the departments that contribute to the smooth functioning of our institute."

Erik Orsenna brought the ceremony to a close by emphasizing how proud he is to be the Ambassador of the Institut Pasteur, on the front line of research; he considers himself a "student" of the Institut Pasteur, but is also fully committed to boosting its visibility among the general public – for example in the upcoming radio broadcast that he will be hosting on RTL on January 18 alongside Thomas Bourgeron.

The event was followed by an enjoyable drinks reception which provided an opportunity for further discussion. Continuing the 2019 Pasteurdon #PutOnYourLabCoat (#MetsTaBlouse) initiative, Institut Pasteur staff were given another opportunity to check out the specially graffitied lab coats produced by a dozen contemporary artists, which were on display in the CIS hall for the occasion.

Watch the New Year ceremony (video with chapters)

 

Read Christian Vigouroux's address (in French)

Read Stewart Cole's address (in French)

Check out the 2019 retrospective featuring the year's highlights (video with chapters, in French)

Photos : Institut Pasteur - François Gardy