Pasteurdon
«La science pour la vie»: the 19th edition of Pasteurdon is underway!
With smiles on your faces throughout the day, many of you participated in the launch of the 19th edition of Pasteurdon on Wednesday, October 8!
For this flagship event, the campus first welcomed the entire Pasteurian community as well as the various participants in the operation: management, ambassadors, sponsors, hosts and journalists, representatives of TV and radio stations, and the operation's patrons. Campaign visuals, video clips and testimonials were shown on stage to reveal the new tone of the campaign.
A second highlight opened the campus doors to numerous families, both Pasteurian and external, allowing them to spend an afternoon discovering the behind-the-scenes world of research through laboratory visits and participating in fun and educational activities designed to raise awareness of experimentation among young audiences. The programme was all about generosity and curiosity!
All gathered together to support science, you helped kick off this new edition, which sought to emphasise ‘life, its beauty and its luminosity, as well as its fragility and the importance of protecting it’.
Opening the 19th Pasteurdon event
The first part of the event took place in the CIS auditorium with a presentation of the 2025 campaign by Henri Pitron, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, alongside Antoine Bogaerts, Director of Philanthropy. The general philosophy, visuals, and research areas of the new campaign were presented, as well as the exceptional multi-channel system deployed to promote Pasteurdon and appeal for generosity, setting the unique framework for this edition.
Various “witnesses” then took turns, alongside Henri Pitron and Antoine Bogaerts, the tandem hosts, to share with the audience their support, enthusiasm, and, in some cases, very personal stories, all of which were linked by a common theme of research and health issues.
On this occasion, Erik Orsenna, ambassador for the Institut Pasteur and “loyal member of the Pasteurian community,” declared how, “more than ever, we need science in the face of the enemies of reason and knowledge.” Yasmine Belkaid then emphasized how Pasteurdon is a unique opportunity to celebrate science and raise its profile in these turbulent times fraught with threats. “We are the guardians of science, and we have a duty to preserve the space for risk and discovery.” Kad Merad, patron of the event, then took to the stage to share his great pride in sponsoring this wonderful event for the second year running. He expressed his delight at having been able to visit new laboratories last September and thus discover the challenges associated with the research work of the teams he met. Julia Vignali, patron of the campaign, was unable to attend for professional reasons, but sent a video message expressing her support, which was also filmed during her visit last September. Kad Merad then invited two researchers, Sarah Dellière and Samy Taha, to join him on stage to present their work and explain why donations are essential for their scientific work and for research in general. Julian Bugier, who has been an ambassador for the campaign since last year, recorded a video from the set of the 1pm news program on France 2 so as not to miss the opportunity to show his support and remind viewers how essential research is to the advancement of knowledge and how it must serve society.
Anne Barrère, producer and head of media partnerships, alongside several presenters and journalists attending the event: Joan Faggianelli (Gulli), Valérie Brochard (LCP-Assemblée Nationale), Rebecca Fitoussi (Public Sénat), Claire Arnoux (Novo19), Louis Daubé (NRJ), Pierre de Vilno (Europe1), Victoire Sikora (Le Figaro TV) and Aude Seres-Le Lidec (Le Figaro Radio). Finally, the patrons of the operation (Maryvonne Le Roch-Nocera, president of the Le Roch – Les Mousquetaires Foundation, Philippe Da Costa, General Delegate of AG2R LA MONDIALE, and Nicolas Sailly, Director of Communications and Marketing for the Vilavi Group at Assu2000(on video)) were also invited to speak alongside to explain their sensitivity to research and their desire to support Pasteurdon, each in their own way, with their own words and means of action. All of these testimonials illustrated the need to continue advancing the knowledge gained in research laboratories to serve the health of all.
Watch or rewatch the launch of Pasteurdon
Institut Pasteur Open Day
In this age of misinformation, science must also, more than ever, embody dialogue with fellow citizens. It is in this spirit that the first highlight of the testimonials gave way to the opening of the campus doors to the public: making way for discovery and exchange, awareness-raising and experimentation!
Program:
- Visits to laboratories and technology platforms
- Science workshops: banana DNA extraction and microscopic observations
- Stands presenting various research projects and topics
- Stand presenting careers in research
- Art and science workshops
- Film screenings with Maestro Academy
- Journalism experience with Franceinfo
- Science bookshop
- Face painting stand
More than 700 people, adults and children alike, were able to enjoy these activities, discover the Institut Pasteur from the inside and talk to the many Pasteurians who had come together to renew this exceptional experience of meeting and sharing with the public, the last one having taken place in 2019.
See the Pasteurdon Open Day slideshow
More than 150 of you got involved in this 19th edition of Pasteurdon. Thanks to your generosity, enthusiasm and kindness, the campus was transformed into a place of mediation, inspiring young people and spreading knowledge among older generations.
The institute's management would like to express its immense gratitude to all those who came to host these open days and is already planning to repeat and expand this event with the public in 2026!
Sponsors and ambassadors were not to be outdone in stepping into the shoes of a researcher! They all managed to extract the famous DNA jellyfish!
A quiz to test and challenge scientific knowledge
Scheduled for 5 pm, at the end of the Open Day, a quiz was offered to curious and playful visitors to challenge everyone's scientific knowledge. Held in the CIS auditorium and hosted by Baptiste Arnaud, a versatile PhD student in the Immune Response Dynamics unit led by Philippe Bousso, this event posed questions to participants seated on stage. Focusing on each theme of Pasteurdon 2025, this quiz was deliberately fun and participatory, allowing the audience to learn more about health and the environment, infectious diseases, microbiota, and antibiotic resistance, with the help of the researchers' explanations.
View or review the Pasteurdon quiz
See the slideshow of the Pasteurdon Open Day
Photos: François Gardy/Institut Pasteur