FAPESP signs agreement with French institutions to strengthen research cooperation in the field of health

A memorandum of understanding was signed in Paris by the heads of FAPESP, ANRS and INSERM. Creation of Institut Pasteur de São Paulo, to be hosted by the University of São Paulo with more than 80 researchers, was also formalized in the French capital.

Agência FAPESP* – On March 29, in Paris, leaders of FAPESP and France’s National AIDS Research Agency (ANRS) and National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen scientific collaboration between researchers in São Paulo state and France.

The three-year agreement was formalized at INSERM in a ceremony attended by Didier Samuel, CEO of the institute; Yazdan Yazdanpanah, Director of ANRS; Marco Antonio Zago, President of FAPESP; Vahan Agopyan, São Paulo State Secretary of Science and Technology; and Carlos Carlotti Júnior, Rector of the University of São Paulo (USP).

The aim of the initiative is to strengthen research cooperation in the field of health, especially in areas such as HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, emerging and re-emerging diseases, immunology, neuroscience, genetics, chronic diseases and cancer. 

“The scientific communities of São Paulo state and France have a long history of collaboration dating from the start of the twentieth century and the foundation of USP. We expect this agreement to strengthen the partnership even further and help advance projects whose results can have a direct impact on the health and welfare of the population,” Zago said.

Institut Pasteur de São Paulo

In a ceremony held on March 31, also in Paris, Professor Stewart Cole, President of Institut Pasteur, and Carlos Carlotti Júnior, Rector of USP, signed the articles of incorporation of Institut Pasteur de São Paulo, a nonprofit established in accordance with Brazilian company law and a member of the worldwide Pasteur Network. Its mission is to conduct research in the field of biology that contributes to the development of human health, and to organize activities involving extension, education, innovation, knowledge transfer and public health measures.

Institut Pasteur de São Paulo will be based on USP’s main campus (Cidade Universitária) in São Paulo City, with 2,000 square meters of floor space, 17 laboratories, a bioinformatics unit, and several multiuser facilities. When it is fully operational, it will house more than 80 scientists from Brazil and elsewhere engaged in world-class research on transmissible, non-transmissible, emerging, re-emerging, neglected and degenerative diseases, including progressive neurodegenerative diseases.

“Signing the articles of incorporation of Institut Pasteur de São Paulo is a landmark in the strengthening of cooperation between Pasteur and Brazilian institutions. I’d particularly like to stress the importance and relevance of the work done by teams affiliated with the Scientific Platform Pasteur-USP [SPPU], especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the full insertion of the platform in the research ecosystem of São Paulo state. Institut Pasteur de São Paulo will pursue scientific excellence for the benefit of the local population,” Cole said.

“One of the main priorities of our management team at the Office of the Rector is to strengthen the ties between USP and society. The creation of Institut Pasteur de São Paulo, in partnership with Pasteur, is a big step in this direction and complements other ongoing initiatives, including several partnerships with other French universities and research centers. It’s a major milestone in the continuous internationalization of our university,” Carlotti said.

The articles of incorporation were signed in a ceremony at Pasteur in Paris, attended by French and Brazilian officials including São Paulo State Governor Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas; Marco Antonio Zago, President of FAPESP; Michèle Ramis, Director of the Americas and Caribbean Department at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Yves Teyssier d’Orfeuil, Consul General of France in São Paulo.

In his address, Zago highlighted the importance of the agreement, which was finalized after eight years of negotiations that began when he was Rector of USP. He also emphasized the role of Professor Erney P. de Camargo, recently deceased, as a major advocate of the partnership. “I invite the heads of Pasteur and USP to establish a permanent memorial to Professor Camargo at Institut Pasteur de São Paulo,” he said.

The participants said Institut Pasteur de São Paulo will help strengthen cooperation between France and Brazil, paving the way for the two countries to work together on priority public health measures. “This ceremony is a historic moment for the scientific entity we’re unveiling. It strengthens collaboration between São Paulo state, USP and Pasteur. The new status of our structure as ‘Institut Pasteur de São Paulo’ and a member of the Pasteur Network wouldn’t have been possible without the unfaltering commitment of our institutions and the support of French and Brazilian authorities in an outstanding example of international scientific collaboration,” said Paola Minoprio, Executive Coordinator of SPPU. 

Institut Pasteur de São Paulo resulted from an agreement between Pasteur and USP, signed in 2017 and renewed in 2022. The signatories undertook to develop a science platform as a step toward the formal establishment of an institute. Institut Pasteur de São Paulo will assume the rights and obligations of SPPU and remain part of the Pasteur Network, a vast scientific community with more than 30 members in some 20 countries working together to improve global health (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/39155). 

* With information from ANRS and SPPU.