PASTEUR2030
Report on the Town Hall meeting on June 30
On Tuesday, June 30, following an invitation from senior management, another Town Hall meeting was held—a key institutional event that drew a strong turnout, with more than 250 people in attendance at the CIS auditorium and an additional 450 participating via Zoom.
This event enabled speakers to present the achievements of the past six months as part of the Pasteur 2030 strategic plan. It provided numerous insights into several ongoing and upcoming projects, highlighted the dynamism of pasteurian research, and addressed the challenges facing the pasteurian economic model. Finally, the Town Hall also fostered discussion during a question-and-answer session, allowing everyone to share their questions and comments to enrich the discussions.
The event was opened by Yasmine Belkaid, President, who reviewed the highlights, scientific achievements, major structural initiatives currently underway, and strategic outlook for the coming months. Against the context of the threats that continue to weigh on research worldwide, the President called for continued efforts to tackle challenges and take advantage of opportunities, as “we want to protect scientific excellence.” She then detailed the key elements of a strategic vision structured around two pillars: consolidating the Institut Pasteur’s strengths and reinforcing its position (implementation of priorities, strategic hiring, support for young researchers, and medical ambition).
Alban Hautier, Senior Executive Vice-President, then presented the challenges facing the economic model, presenting the financial statements for the Institute, a detailed breakdown of revenues and expenses, and asset management, before discussing the institution’s short- and medium-term financial outlook. Alban Hautier emphasized the credibility of the Institut Pasteur, which is based not only on its scientific excellence but also on its responsible management of resources.
A question-and-answer session was then held to allow participants in the room and online to ask questions or share their comments. Unfortunately, it was not possible to answer all of the questions asked live. You can find the document (very soon) here with the answers to the questions that were not answered on June 30. They will also be available on ePasteur.
The final session was dedicated to science, featuring presentations on the work of the two new five-year group (G5) leaders who joined on June 1: Morgane Thion (Neuroimmunology & Maternal-Fetal Interactions G5) and Spyros Lytras (Antigen Evolution and Design G5). It was an opportunity to learn about the backgrounds of these new group leaders and gain a better understanding of the challenges associated with their research.
The second part of the meeting was focused on the implementation of the Pasteur 2030 Strategic Plan and featured presentations by the leaders of the four scientific priorities, as well as a representative from a strategic project for each priority. The following individuals spoke, either individually, in pairs, or in groups of three:
Olivier Schwartz on the latest developments and prospects for Priority 1, “Infectious Threats,” and David Bikard on the Agnes project—specifically, whether AI can help predict the behavior of pathogenic bacteria
Philippe Bastin on the latest developments and prospects for Priority 2, “Environmental Transitions and Health,” with a focus on the CMTV, and Arnaud Fontanet on the Pasteur Pandemic Preparedness Initiative (P3i)
Gérard Eberl on current developments and future prospects for Priority 3, “Origins of Diseases,” and Claudia Monge presenting her doctoral research on liver cancer in Peru, within the context of the Priority’s Exposome project
Chiara Zurzolo and Philippe Sansonetti on updates and outlooks for Priority 4, “Health and Disease at the Extremes of Life,” and Darragh Duffy on a research program focused on women’s health in collaboration with Labex Milieu intérieur and Thémis, aimed at reducing gender and sex inequalities in biomedical research.
Finally, the last segment was reserved for the presentation of two cross-functional strategic projects: the integrative microbiome program, presented by Benoit Chassaing, head of the Microbiome-Host Interactions five-year group; and COSIPOP, a general population cohort for preliminary research in biology and human health. These two programs were presented, respectively, by Hélène Laude, head of the INVOLvE platform in the Medical Department.
