Z Event: a unique charity marathon in aid of the Institut Pasteur

"Dear all,

Last weekend, the Institut Pasteur experienced an unprecedented outpouring of generosity.

You will no doubt have heard about the Z Event which took place from September 20 to 23 – a 54-hour charity marathon based on streamed video games, with all the proceeds collected this year going to the Institut Pasteur.

We were astounded by the amazing response from an entire community, which led to an incredible €3.5 million being raised – a world record for a charitable cause on the Twitch platform.

The challenge also generated a flood of messages and support on social media and online, with some 510,000 Tweets sent by more than 150,000 Twitter accounts and half a million people logging into the platform to follow the grand final and watch the donation counter go through the roof until the event came to an end during the night of Sunday to Monday.

The marathon was an opportunity for the Institut Pasteur to meet a cheerful, good-natured community of people who were genuinely delighted to have the chance to get together and raise money for our cause. This type of event, a first for the Institut Pasteur, was a way of reaching out to a new sector of the public and explaining the importance of our research and the challenges facing us.

The money raised with the Z Event appeal will help support research projects that are firmly in line with the priority scientific areas set out in the Institut Pasteur's Strategic Plan.

The Institut Pasteur relies on public support and generosity, with gifts and donations representing a third of our resources. The support of the public gives our scientists the independence they need and enables us to be on the front line to deal with new health threats.

The €3.5 million raised by the Z Event is a huge sum.

Buoyed by this overwhelming display of generosity, the Institut Pasteur is more determined than ever to continue reaching out to the public. This week we will be launching the 13th edition of Pasteurdon, our annual campaign to raise funds and awareness.

As well as the Pasteurdon launch event on October 9, this year the Institut Pasteur has decided to open its doors for a Discovery Day on Saturday October 12.

You can find out more about the different Pasteurdon events in this edition of the newsletter.

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for all your messages of encouragement since the weekend and for your efforts to make sure the 13th edition of Pasteurdon is a resounding success.

Regards,"

Professor Stewart Cole

Interview of Jean-François Chambon, Department of Communications and Fundraising, on Twitch, Saturday September 21 : missions of the Institut Pasteur (Internal use only)

End of the event during the night (3.5 millions euros)

Message from the Pasteurians (More than one million of viewers!)