Boosting and modernizing the Institut Pasteur's identity so that it reflects current realities, making it more attractive and relevant for today's society, refocusing its historical image on the future – these ambitions now underpin some of the key initiatives in the Pasteur 2030 Strategic Plan. As the Institut Pasteur finds itself under increasing scrutiny from multiple and wide-ranging audiences, it is committed to strengthening its role as a leading institution in society and upholding the trust placed in it over successive generations.

To this end, each year the Institut Pasteur analyzes its image, reputation and visibility. A new survey was conducted in July in coordination with the agency Verian, via an online self-administered questionnaire completed by a panel of 2,000 people aged 18 and over, representative of the French population.

The indicators for the Institut Pasteur's visibility, reputation and image remain at a high level, confirming the trust that the Institut Pasteur inspires among the French people. The survey identifies the Institut Pasteur's strengths and weaknesses, but there is a strong consensus that it remains at the cutting edge (89%) and that it is modern (79%), under constant development (82%) and innovative (87%) compared with other research institutes in the field of health.*  

 

Key findings from the 2025 survey:

 

Image

Strengths

A recognized brand:

• 94% know the Institut Pasteur by name
• Second most cited health research institute
   

Strong level of trust, stable reputation:

• Trust: 61% excellent/very good
• Reputation 58% excellent/very good

A brand associated…: 

• primarily with its activities and missions: mainly linked with medical research, science, education, vaccines, tackling disease
• and secondly with its qualities: appreciated for its professionalism, expertise and innovation
  
   

Image

Weaknesses 

Overall perception of modernity and innovation is waning:

• Image of success: 49%
• Performance: 47%
• Two-thirds of French people believe that it has made major discoveries but is no longer at the forefront. If we focus only on the IP donors surveyed in this panel, two-thirds also believe this.
   

Not close to the public:

• Visibility: 23% believe visibility to be excellent/very good
• Proximity: 24% feel close to the Institut Pasteur
• 49% feel well informed
   

Little recognition of its commitments:

•  Only 20% associate it with climate-related diseases
   

Ongoing confusion:

• Over its status: 12% believe it is a public institution, 9% a private for-profit institution, 7% a pharmaceutical laboratory
• Over the production and marketing of vaccines and drugs, and to a lesser extent services and treatment for patients
• Little knowledge of its work abroad
  
   

Key future communication challenges

1- Humanise and clarify the role of the Institut Pasteur, promoting its importance to the general public so that everyone understands our missions and feels concerned 
 
2- Increase the Institut's spontaneous recognition, generating consideration among younger potential donors  

3- Modernise our image, create brand preference to stand out in a highly competitive environment
 

* Comparison, particularly with the Curie Institute and the Telethon