I am delighted to see the Ben-Ari Institute for Innovation (IBEN) soon to open 300 meters from INMED (INSERM), which I designed, founded, and directed almost two decades ago. There will therefore be two buildings, one academic and the other private, illustrating the growing importance of biotechnology in transforming academic discoveries into therapeutic tools. This is all the more important given the difficult situation facing academic cognitive research, with young students and postdocs finding it hard to follow the path that was considered standard not so long ago: thesis, postdoc in the US, then recruitment by research institutes. This has become an uphill struggle, leading many young people to turn to startups.
The history of INMED’s creation already illustrates this trend and the continuity between academic and private research. Indeed, INMED was initially created based on the migration of a group of 30 researchers/ITAs from an INSERM laboratory in Paris (Unit 29 Port Royal), which was the largest relocation ever carried out by INSERM staff. When I succeeded Professor Minkowski, it was clear that we had to work on brain maturation, which led us to make important discoveries both on brain maturation and on the emergence in utero of diseases that originate in utero. In 1999, after successfully turning around this prestigious unit, which had been the source of major discoveries by Minko and his colleagues (Dreyfus Brissac, Monod, Larroche), it became apparent that leaving Paris for a dedicated center would be an opportunity to “think bigger.” So I wanted to create a unique institute that would include not only research laboratories but also spaces for biotech companies in order to promote closer ties between fundamental and applied research, as well as a space dedicated to welcoming high school students (Tous Chercheurs) and patients. In short, an institute that is well integrated into the reality of all aspects of research. As a result, we had to relocate around thirty families and find the money to build this institute, which took a lot of energy. In fact, this process had to be repeated. Initially, there was the possibility of having it financed by a Norwegian foundation, but that fell through when we were already in Marseille. So I had to find the funding again, this time from public institutions (INSEERM, the region, the city council, etc.).
But the result is there: an outstanding architect whom I was able to persuade to build a laboratory—something he had never done before (Snohetta, winner of the European Architecture Award (https://www.snohetta.com/) and notably the Library of Alexandria). I donated my personal collection of artworks, which I had assembled and acquired with the aim of bringing art and science closer together, and organized temporary exhibitions of artists whose works I found interesting to display. This initiative, which began in Paris, allowed artists to sell their works at the price they had set and to make a name for themselves, while enriching the laboratory with inspiration. INMED has become a flagship building for INSERM, which remains a center for research and training and one of the main laboratories on the Luminy campus. I am delighted to have been able to carry out this project and to have since moved on to my own therapeutic research, which will be based at IBEN. I felt it was important to tell this rather unusual story to show that it is still possible to carry out projects based on a collective desire to innovate. Hopefully, IBEN and INMED will one day be able to illustrate the two facets of research in accordance with Pasteur’s statement that “there is no such thing as applied research, only applications of fundamental research.”
As a bonus, I’m sharing some “vintage” videos with you:
