After “several years of lack of investment”Emmanuel Macron announced a series of public funding in the field of biomedical research, Tuesday, May 16.
The Head of State first announced public support to ten new university hospital institutes (IHU) – in Nice, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Lyon and in Ile-de-France – as well as to “two emerging IHU projects”, in Nancy and in Toulouse. In total, this first part of investments concerning these twelve new IHUs – which are added to the seven already labeled – is estimated at “just over 300 million euros”said the President of the Republic.
These centers are specifically intended for subjects as diverse as gerontology (Toulouse), female cancers (Institut Curie in Paris) or cerebrovascular diseases (Bordeaux). By financing these projects, the stated objective is to bring together the various health skills – care, research and innovation – within centers of excellence and thus to allow the development of integrated research projects for “Improve the health of patients, the organization of care and the health system”.
Five “bio-clusters” financed by the public and the private sector
Secondly, Emmanuel Macron announced the financing of “five global bio-clusters” : Saclay (whose public investment had already been announced), Marseille, Paris, Lyon and AFM-Telethon.
The public envelope is encrypted at “400 million euros” And “local authorities will come alongside the State to invest (…) and industrialists undertake to finance these projects”, underlined Mr. Macron. The Head of State estimates that private investment will reach “more than 100% or even 200%” of the public budget, thus making it possible to exceed “very widely (…) 1.5 billion euros” total investment.
Finally, the Head of State announced the creation of around fifty “chairs of excellence in biology and health” funded “up to 2 million euros” each. This is a call for projects launched so that teams including some of the “World’s Leading Scientists” receive funding for five years to conduct research programs in France. According to the President of the Republic, the device will be launched in ” the next days “. “We want to train more, keep the talents we train and attract talents from all over the world”summarized Mr. Macron.
An action plan for biomedical research “d’isix months ago »
The President of the Republic wanted consultations between “all stakeholders involved” and François Braun, Minister of Health, Sylvie Retailleau, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, and Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate for Industry, are conducted “within six months” in order to establish a ” action plan “ for a “more unified and efficient biomedical research”.
These funding announcements are part of the “Health Innovation 2030” plan, which aims to strengthen France’s international attractiveness in biomedical research. The total envelope is 7.5 billion euros, of which more than 1 billion will be devoted to research and other programs of excellence launched soon, announced the Head of State.