"Rendez-vous de l'histoire" is an annual festival that encourages contemporary debate about history. The festival, held in Blois, helps stimulate dialog between researchers and the general public. This year's theme was "France?".

The Institut Pasteur was previously invited to the festival to Blois in 2022 to mark the bicentenary of Louis Pasteur's birth, when it was allocated one of the "Carte blanche" sessions, alongside the French Academy of Sciences, to organize a series of lectures and round tables over two half-days exploring the life, achievements and legacy of Louis Pasteur.
 
The Institut Pasteur was again invited to this year's festival, which coincided with Pasteurdon week. President Yasmine Belkaid, who attended alongside Yves Saint-Geours, Chairman of the Board of Governors, was asked to give the closing lecture of what has now become a highly prestigious event. Yasmine Belkaid took the opportunity to present the history of the Institut Pasteur and the remarkable contributions it has made to science, which are deeply rooted in France's history. Her lecture also emphasized the crucial role of history in reminding us of just how much science has contributed to humanity and how important it is that we defend its role today.

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“We need to speak out to save science. What is happening in the United States can happen here too. Without science, we are opening the door to chaos. We need to speak out to save science, and I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to do so here today. Science has played an absolutely central and decisive role in France's history and identity."  
 
See the video of the closing lecture at the 2025 “Rendez-vous de l'histoire” 
Find out more about the "Rendez-vous de l'histoire" festival