May 26, 2023
Bulletin interne de l'Institut Pasteur
Playing a central part in the "Healthcare Innovation 2030" plan: success of the re-Connect and InovAND university hospital institutes (IHUs) and BCF2I, the French biocluster for innovation in infectiology
The Healthcare Innovation 2030 plan, presented by the French President, was launched in 2021 with the aim of shaping France into a European leader in healthcare innovation and sovereignty. Drawing to a large extent on the Investing in the Future program, the Healthcare Innovation 2030 plan aims to strengthen biomedical research and support three priority fields: biotherapies, digital health and tackling emerging infectious diseases. A budget of €7 billion has been earmarked for the plan, which will run until 2030.
In connection with the Healthcare Innovation 2030 plan, the French government launched a call for expressions of interest for the establishment of university hospital institutes (IHUs) and bioclusters, with a total of €1.7 billion set aside to strengthen medical research capabilities via a series of health research sites. The aim is to create clusters of excellence that bring together healthcare, research and innovation, facilitating the development of integrated health research projects involving clinicians, scientists and businesses with the goal of improving patient health, treatment processes and the organization of the health system. The various sites are operated by the French National Research Agency.
Last week, the government announced the establishment of 12 new IHUs and 4 new bioclusters. The Institut Pasteur is a coordinator or partner in some of these sites and is determined to be closely involved in the national ambition to respond to challenges and developments in the field of health.
On May 16, the French President Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Sylvie Retailleau, Minister for Higher Education and Research, François Braun, Minister for Health and Prevention, and Roland Lescure, Minister for Industry, announced the establishment of the following structures:
- re-Connect, the university hospital institute (IHU) led by the Hearing Institute, an Institut Pasteur center,
- InovAND, the IHU led by the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP), with which the Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions Unit, led by Thomas Bourgeron, is associated,
- the BCF2I biocluster, led by Lyonbiopole, of which the Institut Pasteur is a partner.
Read the Healthcare Innovation 2030 press kit
Establishment of the re-Connect university hospital institute (IHU) aimed at improving the detection and treatment of hearing and speech impairments
re-Connect is led by the Hearing Institute, an Institut Pasteur center. The other founders of the IHU are the Fondation Pour l'Audition, the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP), Université Paris Cité and Inserm. re-Connect will be the first institution to bring together all the key stakeholders in hearing health.
The re-Connect IHU will also be the first dedicated European institute for hearing and the brain, with the ambitious aim of moving from compensatory medicine to reparative medicine over the next decade by harnessing discoveries made in basic genetics and neuroscience research over the past 20 years. The IHU will pave the way for the development of innovative clinical applications related to this key public health issue that will have a major societal and academic impact (see inset below). It will be allocated funding of €30 to 40 million. The IHU will be coordinated by Professor Anne-Lise Giraud, Director of the Hearing Institute.
InovAND, a university hospital institute (IHU) to support child development
The Robert Debré Child Brain Institute, selected following the call for proposals and founded in 2021 through a partnership between the AP-HP, Inserm, Université Paris Cité, the CEA and the Institut Pasteur, will be funded to the tune of €20 million to create a novel ecosystem involving children, families, physicians, scientists, institutions and private partners, who will act together to tackle neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities in children.
The project, led by the AP-HP Foundation, meets a major need, given the considerable public health issues surrounding children's cognitive development (one child in six has neurodevelopmental disorders, one in five has learning difficulties, and one in five lives below the poverty line).
The BCF2I biocluster for innovation in infectious diseases
The aim of this project, led by Lyonbiopole Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in association with bioMérieux, Sanofi, Boehringer-Ingenheim, the entire regional ecosystem involved in tackling infectious diseases, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, Hospices Civils de Lyon, the Institut Pasteur, Inserm-ANRS-Emerging Infectious Diseases, the AP-HP and Université Paris Cité, with the support of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and the Lyon and Grenoble metropolitan areas, is to support the development and marketing of innovative, operational solutions to accelerate efforts to tackle emerging infectious diseases and the emergence of antibiotic resistance, via a one health approach.
Drawing on the existing strengths and assets in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and in Paris, the BCF2I biocluster will provide a conducive scientific and industrial environment for innovation in infectious diseases. It will lead to the rapid development and consolidation of an ecosystem involving a critical mass of stakeholders in the field with the aim of rolling out innovative approaches that lead to new products.
The biocluster will also seek to strengthen vaccine research by incorporating major strategic research projects in the area of vaccinology led by the Institut Pasteur, Inserm and the CEA.
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