Nantes, May 19, 2010 - With support from Nantes Métropole urban council and the Pays de la Loire Regional Council, Nantes University Hospital and the University of Nantes have joined forces to push for the creation of a University Hospital Institute (Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire, IHU) provisionally entitled the “European Centre for Transplantation Sciences and Immunotherapy”.
The French government is to set up a total of 5 IHUs, following a rigorous tendering process. The institutes will be funded from the proceeds of the country’s National Bond Scheme.
Over the last 10 years, the city of Nantes’ healthcare cluster has forged a reputation as one of the best in France. It is gaining an international reputation in many fields (including immunology, transplantation, oncology, cardiology, gastroenterology, human nutrition, cell & gene therapy and biomaterials). The cluster constitutes a key element in the Pays de la Loire region’s economic attractiveness and is a driving force for regional research efforts. Its success is based on close collaboration between Nantes University Hospital, the INSERM national medical research institute, the University of Nantes, other research providers and biotech companies, with the support of the local authorities and the French State.
The Nantes-based IHU project focuses on the role of patient-centred translational research and medical care in understanding and curing disease. The IHU project is being led by Professor Jean-Paul Soulillou (one of the field’s leading physicians and researchers) and currently involves over 1100 staff (including almost 200 researchers- one of the French government’s criteria for the future IHUs). It is set to be Europe’s leading programme in the high-priority field of transplantation science.
