Message from the Chairman of the Board of Governors about the governance of the Institut Pasteur

Message of February 24:

"Dear Institut Pasteur staff,

Shortly after my arrival, I had the pleasure of speaking to you at the New Year ceremony on January 10. This was an opportunity for me to tell you how proud I was to be joining the big Institut Pasteur family, to highlight the advances you have made in recent years and to set out the challenges we are facing together.

One of these challenges is the future organization of the Institut Pasteur, an issue which I am approaching with every confidence, drawing on my experience as an academic, a diplomat and a public servant. I felt that it was important to give you some more details, to share with you my vision of the role of the Institut Pasteur's Board of Governors and to outline the main stages leading up to the change in our governance next year. This is why I am writing to you today.

The Board of Governors, which I have the honor of chairing, is living proof of the democratic workings of our institution: 16 of its 22 members are elected by the Institut Pasteur General Meeting board (which itself is composed of a third of internal members from the Institut Pasteur, including 6 representatives from staff unions), and its Bureau, which I also chair, is elected by the Board.

This gives the Board of Governors the legitimacy to decide on the main priorities of the Institut Pasteur, on the basis of proposals from the senior management team: it gives its opinion on the Strategic Plan, votes on budgets and approves the accounts, decides on the establishment of new research units, authorizes legal proceedings, etc. It also plays a central role in appointing those in positions of responsibility, starting with the President: it appoints the President by a two-thirds majority for a six-year term, after consulting each of the members of the Scientific Council and the Directors of the scientific departments.

Since the Board of Governors is vested with considerable powers by the Institut Pasteur's articles of association, and with the majority of its members being democratically elected, it offers long-term stability for the governance of the Institut Pasteur. Its elected members, especially the Chairman – myself – are given a six-year term, which means that we can provide continuity between successive Strategic Plans put forward by Presidents and maintain a sense of unity among the teams against a backdrop of change. I am extremely aware of the importance of the stability represented by the Board of Governors in these circumstances, and I will make sure that the Board continues to fulfill this essential role during my term.

As you know, on January 1, 2024, a new President will take office at the Institut Pasteur. This means that Professor Stewart Cole has nearly a whole year to complete the major projects set out in the ambitious Strategic Plan that he has developed for the Institut Pasteur, and I want to take this opportunity to assure him once again that he has my support and my cooperation to achieve this mission. A recruitment process is currently under way to appoint the person who will succeed him. After a first selection phase led by an ad hoc Search Committee chaired by Professor Edith Heard and composed of eminent scientists, the shortlisted candidates will be interviewed before a panel composed of the directors of the scientific departments and the Institut Pasteur Scientific Council in early March so that they can form an opinion. On the basis of this opinion and a further interview, the Board of Governors will appoint the future President of the Institut Pasteur on March 29.

I am aware that this process may give rise to questions within the Institut Pasteur community. This is why I felt that it was important to inform you openly and transparently of the different stages in the process, and also to reassure you that I will make every effort to maintain stability throughout this transition period.

I am confident in our ability to remain united in this context and I know that I can count on your commitment as we continue to uphold the values that drive us all, together with all the bodies that make up the Institut Pasteur."

Yves Saint-Geours
Chairman of the Institut Pasteur Board of Governors