Chairs of Excellence in Biology/Health: Institut Pasteur as an institutional and scientific hub to host the presentation ceremony for winning candidates, including four Institut Pasteur scientists with ambitious projects

On April 22, the Institut Pasteur hosted the presentation ceremony for the winners of the first "Chairs of Excellence in Biology/Health" call for proposals, attended by Sylvie Retailleau, French Minister for Higher Education and Research, and Frédéric Valletoux, Deputy Minister responsible for Health and Prevention under the Minister of Work, Health and Solidarity.

After an opening address by Yves Saint-Geours, Chairman of the Institut Pasteur Board of Governors, and Yasmine Belkaid, President of the Institut Pasteur, the ministers addressed the audience before announcing the names of the 22 winning candidates in the Chairs of Excellence program, aimed at strengthening biomedical research and supporting innovation while also providing the resources needed to attract or maintain the world's best researchers in France.

The Institut Pasteur is delighted that four of the 22 winners are its own scientists, a result that highlights the academic excellence of the Institut Pasteur's research and underscores the government's commitment to scientists leading novel and innovative projects:

Yasmine Belkaid, selected for her project "MAMM" on maternal immunity control in early life. Yasmine Belkaid has also held the post of President of the Institut Pasteur since January 2024.

See the individual presentation video

Mélanie Hamon, Head of the Chromatin and Infection Unit at the Institut Pasteur, for her project "ChromaBac" on chromatin modifications induced by bacteria in promoting health and preventing disease.

See the individual presentation video

Romain Koszul, Head of the Spatial Regulation of Genomes Unit at the Institut Pasteur, leader of the "COMET" project on elucidating complex ecosystems using contact metagenomics.

See the individual presentation video (coming soon)

Lluis Quintana-Murci, Professor at the Collège de France and Head of the Human Evolutionary Genetics Unit at the Institut Pasteur, selected for his "EPIGEMI" project exploring the interplay of genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors underlying dysregulated metabolism and inflammation.

See the individual presentation video

The "Chairs of Excellence in Biology/Health" call for proposals, launched by the French National Research Agency (ANR) as part of the France 2030 initiative, represents a significant milestone in biology and health research. By appointing a prestigious international selection panel and offering each team up to €3 million to conduct their project over a five-year period, it reflects a new and extremely positive trend to provide long-term support to talented scientists and give them the freedom they need to express their creativity. The program is part of the France 2030 plan led by the General Secretariat for Investment (SGPI), with the aim of producing at least 20 biopharmaceuticals, especially for cancer and chronic diseases, and developing innovative medical devices in France.

In the words of Yasmine Belkaid, who was both proud to host the ceremony as President of the Institut Pasteur and grateful to have been selected as a winner, "this is a visionary funding method that gives scientists the time to take risks and push the boundaries of research to the highest level."

Yves Saint-Geours, Chairman of the Institut Pasteur Board of Governors, extended his thanks to the government, "as these chairs are perfectly in line with the Institut Pasteur's culture and vocation to demonstrate long-term trust in outstanding teams by providing them with considerable resources for highly original and innovative projects, with the aim of helping reduce health inequalities."

For further information, read the Institut Pasteur press release

For further information, read the ministerial press release

Watch the presentation ceremony held on April 22

A behind-the-scenes video of the ceremony is under preparation and will be added to this article as soon as possible so that you can see the highlights of the event!

A campus visit before the official ceremony

Before the ceremony announcing the winners, the ministers were taken on a tour of campus and spoke to the research teams led by the Institut Pasteur's laureates, reflecting their support for biomedical research and recognition of the excellence of the Institut Pasteur's science. This was also an opportunity to highlight the Institut Pasteur's commitment to collective action, openness, risk-taking and creativity for the benefit of health.