100 days: message from the President

« Dear Colleagues,
 
After 100 days in a new post it is customary to compare the achievements with the original objectives and route map. When I began as President of the Institut Pasteur my initial task was to consolidate and complete the senior management team, the CODIR.  It is unnecessary to remind you that our “raison d’être” is to perform world-class biomedical research and thus the first priority was to place science at the core of the CODIR’s activities and to appoint a scientific director with outstanding bandwidth.  Like you, I was delighted when Professor Olivier Schwartz accepted this position.  With the appointments of the legal director, Mr. Samuel Valcke, the director of human resources, Ms. Odile Hermabessière, and the director for technology and scientific programs, Professor Christophe d’Enfert, the original objectives have been attained.  The CODIR is now fully operational and at the service of the campus.

The second major task is to prepare the Strategic Plan for 2019 – 2022 for presentation to the Board (conseil d’administration, the CA) on October 19th.  This is a collaborative effort involving not only the CODIR but also the Directors of the Scientific Departments and Centres as well as selected young scientists.  The exercise began recently and has already uncovered a series of exciting research topics to accompany the main themes previously approved by the CA, namely emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and neurodegenerative diseases. I am convinced that we need to put human health at the heart of our activities and to concentrate on a few, critical scientific and global health issues that the world faces. I am confident that this collaborative approach will result in a stimulating and highly original strategy to make a considerable impact in the fields of biology, microbiology and infectious diseases. In addition, the Strategic Plan will address the modernization of the campus and our economic model.

To ensure that the Strategic Plan includes all the elements of success a brainstorming session will be held with the Scientific Council in June during which the first draft will be debated.  Prior to that, on May 28th, we will meet with the heads of research units, technology platforms and reference centres in order to share information about the evolution of our Institute and to elicit further suggestions.  For instance, we intend to streamline some of our operating procedures and to empower the Department Directors in certain management procedures.  On June 11th, the annual report from the CA will be presented to the Assemblée des 100 and on June 12th a general meeting will take place so that all of our colleagues can learn of the progress that has been made and the improvements in perspective.

Finally, I would like to thank everyone for the warm welcome extended on my arrival and for ensuring that the Institut Pasteur remains a vibrant and harmonious centre of excellence.
 
Best regards,»

Stewart Cole
President