March 27, 2020
Bulletin interne de l'Institut Pasteur
Visit from the French President: a strong signal of support for the Institut Pasteur and its scientists
As the world grapples with the worsening health crisis, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, visited the Institut Pasteur on Thursday March 19 to witness at first hand the work of several of its scientists who are helping to advance research as part of efforts to tackle the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus. The President had the opportunity to meet some of the teams who have been hard at work since the very start of the outbreak and to find out more about both the emergency research being carried out on the topic and the health challenges facing the French people.
The presidential delegation – which included French President Emmanuel Macron, Frédérique Vidal, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, and Thierry Coulhon, adviser to the French President on education, higher education, research and innovation – was greeted by Stewart Cole, President of the Institut Pasteur, and Christian Vigouroux, Chairman of the Institut Pasteur's Board of Directors, before heading to the National Reference Center (CNR) for Respiratory Viruses and the Structural Virology Unit. Sylvie Van der Werf, Félix Rey and their respective teams spoke to the delegation and presented the challenging work being carried out by their entities in this unprecedented and complex period.
The delegation then sat down with Christian Vigouroux, Stewart Cole, Scientific Director Christophe d'Enfert, Olivier Schwartz, Head of the Virus and Immunity Unit, Christiane Gerke, coordinator of the concerted action for vaccinology, Frédéric Tangy, Head of the Innovation Lab Vaccines, and Gilles Bloch, Chairman and CEO of Inserm, to discuss the work of the Institut Pasteur's COVID-19 task force. Subjects raised included research on viral replication in cell culture and the reaction of the immune system, and also ongoing efforts to develop a vaccine candidate for SARS-CoV-2 and the question of how any developments might be brought to market in France.
The French President took the opportunity of his visit to the Institut Pasteur to announce his decision to increase France's research budget by €5 billion over the next decade. He also reiterated his message to the public, via the many journalists present, about how vital it is for everyone to comply with the government's advice to "Stay at home" to control the outbreak.
The presidential visit, which gave the Institut Pasteur and its scientists a chance to present their ongoing and future work in response to COVID-19, is a strong demonstration of support for all the Institut Pasteur's staff and for research in general.
Video from Stewart Cole about the visit from the French President Emmanuel Macron
Photos : Institut Pasteur - François Gardy
At a time when information is circulating extremely quickly (by email, on social media, etc.), today more than ever we all have a responsibility to protect the Institut Pasteur, its staff and their projects. We would remind you that it is vital not to pass on any of the information that you receive on a daily basis via various means – email, Webcampus, newsletters (BIP, RIIP-Info, etc.) – to anyone outside the Institut Pasteur. We all need to remain on our guard to protect the safety and security not only of each individual but also of the Institut Pasteur and its research.