The foundation will match each euro donated to Clinatec, up to €5 million, through the end of its 8-month fundraising campaign
Grenoble, FRANCE, December 7, 2015 – Mrs. Lily Safra, Chairwoman of the Edmond J. Safra Foundation, today announced a major matching grant donation to Clinatec, the pioneering biomedical research center. The Foundation will match every donation given to Clinatec, euro for euro, up to a total of 5 million euros, through June 30, 2016. The objective is for Clinatec to raise 10 million euros in its fundraising campaign.
The matching grant challenge is open to all: philanthropists, corporate sponsors, foundations or individual donors. Proceeds will be used for medical research projects at Clinatec on neurodegenerative diseases, motor disabilities and cancer.
As one of the founding donors of Clinatec, the Edmond J. Safra Foundation’s 5-million euro donation demonstrates its continuing commitment to this leading research center, co-founded by Professor Alim-Louis Benabid and Jean Therme, Director of Technological Research at the CEA (the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission).
Clinatec, the Edmond J. Safra Biomedical Research Center, is a unique research facility utilizing the latest technologies – micro- and nanotechnologies and electronics – to treat patients. At the heart of the research and development center is a hospital service that includes a surgical unit and laboratories. The multidisciplinary team comprises more than a hundred doctors and biologists, as well as scientists from the CEA, Inserm, the Grenoble Hospital and the Joseph Fourier University, all under the leadership of Professor Benabid.
Professor Benabid thanked the Foundation and Mrs. Safra, for their renewed commitment: “Once again, it is a great honor and demonstration of confidence of Mrs. Lily Safra, for our past and upcoming research. You have been part of the Clinatec project from the start. Thanks to you, Clinatec has become what it is today: a unique place where research is entirely devoted to patients’ well-being.”
Mrs. Lily Safra commented: “Three years have already passed since we had the privilege to inaugurate Clinatec, the Edmond J. Safra Biomedical Research Center. In this short period of time, the Center has reached all of its objectives, and in a remarkable way. I am delighted to provide renewed support for Clinatec through this additional €5 million gift. Professor Benabid and his colleagues represent hope for millions of patients and their families. I know my husband would have been proud to be associated with their efforts.”
Professor Benabid’s findings in the area of Parkinson’s disease have earned him several prestigious prizes and international recognition, including the 2014 Lasker-Debakey award. Professor Benabid has notably initiated the development of high-frequency deep-brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus, a surgical technique that decreases tremors and restores motor functions in patients with Parkinson’s disease at an advanced stage. More than 150,000 people in the world have already benefited from this treatment.
About the Edmond J. Safra Foundation:
Edmond J. Safra, one of the 20th century’s most accomplished bankers and a devoted philanthropist, established a major philanthropic foundation to ensure that needy individuals and organizations would continue to receive his assistance and encouragement for many years to come. Under the chairmanship of his beloved wife Lily, the Edmond J. Safra Foundation draws continuing inspiration from its founder’s life and values, and supports hundreds of organizations in over 40 countries around the world. Its work encompasses four areas: Education; Science and Medicine; Religion; and Humanitarian Assistance, Culture, and Social Welfare. www.edmondjsafra.org/
Contacts: Seth Goldschlager, seth.goldschlager@consultants.publicis.fr +33 (0)6 09 42 50 40 – François Chardon fchardon@publicis.fr +33 (0)6 24 87 51 37
About Clinatec:
Clinatec – The Edmond J. Safra Biomedical Research Center conducts research on the frontier of health care and micro- and nanoelectronics. Its teams of medical doctors, biologists, mathematicians, engineers and other specialists bring a unique, multi-disciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases cancer and motor disabilities, and development of innovative biomedical devices to improve patient lives. The teams are comprised of personnel from the Grenoble University Hospital Centre, CEA, Université Joseph Fourier and Inserm. Clinatec recently launched a global fundraising campaign to support its creative approach to curing some of humankind’s most debilitating diseases. Clinatec is based in Grenoble, France, within the CEA research center. www.clinatec.fr/en
