Call for proposals: documenting the action and dedication of Institut Pasteur staff during the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2

In collaboration with the COVID-19 Ad Memoriam Institute (Université de Paris/IRD), the Institut Pasteur is launching a call for proposals with the aim of documenting the action and dedication of Institut Pasteur staff during the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. From the very early days of the epidemic, the Institut Pasteur's scientific and non-scientific staff were actively involved in the national and international response to the health crisis. Their efforts, which led to progress in many areas, confirmed the Institut Pasteur's vital role in tackling emerging pathogens and in public health in general. But over and above the research results themselves, which received extensive media coverage, what actually spurred Institut Pasteur staff on? What values underpinned their action and their choices, and how do they feel about their work, especially when a pandemic affecting the entire planet further increases the media spotlight and social expectations weighing on their shoulders? What inspired – and continues to inspire – Institut Pasteur staff to give so much of themselves at this unprecedented time? As well as striving for scientific excellence, what meaning do Institut Pasteur staff ascribe to their work in this context? To what extent do they draw on the Institut Pasteur's heritage and values?

The aim of the call for proposals launched by the Institut Pasteur on May 28 is to answer these questions, to document this extraordinary period in detail and to understand the values and motivation underpinning the work of Institut Pasteur staff during the pandemic. The initiative, led jointly by the Institut Pasteur and the COVID-19 Ad Memoriam Institute, has been approved by the COVID-19 Task Force. It falls under the "Science and society" priority area in the Institut Pasteur's Strategic Plan, in relation with the steering committee for the priority area and under the aegis of the Institut Pasteur's Ethics Committee.

The COVID-19 Ad Memoriam Institute, headed by Laetitia Atlani-Duault and with honorary presidents Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Jean-François Delfraissy, brings together a variety of different communities – including scientists, healthcare workers, artists, legal experts, victims' associations, spiritual and cultural authorities, think tanks, civil society representatives, business leaders and students – to reflect together on the COVID-19 pandemic and to collect, archive and analyze the legacy and memories – both mundane and extraordinary – of the pandemic. The aim of the initiative is to create a digital place of memory, foster dialog and prepare leaders and citizens for future crises.

Following an independent selection process, the call for proposals launched by the Institut Pasteur will result in the award of a two-year grant to a multidisciplinary team of two post-doctoral fellows in the field of humanities and social sciences. The selected team will conduct interviews with members of the Institut Pasteur's scientific and non-scientific staff and analyze their testimonies with the aim of identifying the meaning these staff members attach to their work.

The team will be part of the Scientific Information Resources Center (CeRIS). It will be monitored:

on a regular basis by a dedicated steering committee, led by Annick Opinel, a historian and philosopher of science and former Institut Pasteur employee who previously worked in the Pharmacoepidemiology and Infectious Diseases Unit;
on an annual basis by a scientific board chaired by Anne-Marie Moulin, a physician and philosopher, Emeritus Director of Research at the CNRS and a member of the national independent mission to evaluate the handling of the COVID-19 crisis and preparedness for pandemic risks.

The submission deadline for multidisciplinary research proposals in French is July 7, 2021, at midnight.

Practical details about the call for proposals are available at the following link