Laval (July 4, 2008) - The health research funding organizations of Quebec (the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec, FRSQ), France (the Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, Inserm) and Canada (the Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction, and Institute of Aging) today signed a co-operation agreement on Alzheimer's disease research.
The announcement was made today at the Institut national de recherche scientifique (INRS-Santé), in Laval, in the presence of the Prime Minister of France, His Excellency François Fillon, and the Premier of Quebec, the Honourable Jean Charest. Also present at the event and representing Quebec were Michelle Courchesne, Minister of Education, Recreation and Sports and Minister of Families, and Raymond Bachand, Minister of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade and Minister of Tourism, while France was represented by Alain Joyandet, Secretary of State for Cooperation and the Francophonie, and Anne-Marie Idrac, Secretary of State for Foreign Trade.
The agreement provides for the funding of research projects that reflect specific objectives linked directly to the diagnosis, treatment or management of patients with Alzheimer's disease or related diseases. The projects must be significant and involve specialists in various disciplines, from various university and hospital institutions, forming multidisciplinary consortia. These consortia must be structured in such a way as to contribute original added value that each country would be unable to achieve alone.
The partners of the FRSQ in this agreement are the Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation and the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.
Background
In France, this initiative flows from the ambition plan to combat Alzheimer's disease and related diseases launched February 1, 2008 by President Nicolas Sarkozy. This plan provides for creation of a scientific co-operation foundation in which academic and private partners will work together.
In Quebec, the project is in line with the mandate entrusted by the Minister of Health and Social Services, the Honourable Philippe Couillard, to the expert committee responsible for developing a national action plan with regard to care, services and quality of life in relation to Alzheimer's disease and related diseases, an action plan that is to be tabled in fall 2008.
"This project fits in naturally with the close scientific co-operation that has existed for many years between Quebec and France," said the Acting President and CEO of the FRSQ, Dr. Marielle Gascon-Barré. "That co-operation has proved especially fruitful in the neurosciences field, and it was clear that the establishment of a major shared program on Alzheimer's disease was needed."
André Syrota, Inserm's Director General, is delighted that the scientific cooperation between Inserm and the FRSQ, which goes back 40 years, is being strengthened today to deal with diseases that are undeniable priorities in the two countries.
"The Canadian Institutes of Health Research are pleased to be associated with this initiative, which is in line with the priorities of the Government of Canada and addresses a major national health problem," said Dr. Alain Beaudet, CIHR President. "We intend for this Franco-Quebec initiative to serve as the catalyst for a broader co-operation program throughout the country that will mobilize Canada's undeniable resources in this field."
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About the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ)
The mission of the Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ), which reports to the Ministre du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation and the Ministre du Tourisme, is to support health research for the benefit and well-being of Quebecers. Its mandate is to promote and provide funding for that research, knowledge dissemination and research training, as well as to establish partnerships which are essential to the Quebec's research and innovation system and to the expansion of research at the international level.
About Inserm
Inserm is the only French public research body entirely dedicated to human health. Its researchers are committed to studying all diseases, whether common or rare, through their research in the fields of biology, medicine and public health. Created in 1964, Inserm is a public institution with scientific and technical vocations, under the dual auspices of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. Inserm supports some 300 laboratories across France, with a total of 8,000 employees (researchers, engineers, technicians and managers). Please see the Inserm website for more information.
About the CIHR
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 10,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
For more information, please contact:
Michelle Dubuc
FRSQ
514-873-2114 x 235
mdubuc@frsq.gouv.qc.ca
David Coulombe
CIHR Media Relations
613-941-4563
mediarelations@cihr.gc.ca
Priscille Rivière
Inserm
+ 33 1 44 23 60 98
presse@inserm.fr
