Sanofi and Institut Pasteur create new awards scheme

Sanofi has allied with the Institut Pasteur to launch a new awards programme to support innovative life science research projects.

The Sanofi-Institut Pasteur Awards will see four projects that offer significant advancement in scientific research and provide answers to major healthcare problems offered grants of 480,000 euros (405,400 pounds).

It will focus on four important fields of healthcare research – neglected tropical diseases, vaccine innovation, drug resistance and therapeutic approaches to ageing and regenerative medicine.

The inaugural round of prizes will be awarded in November 2012, with applications to be accepted until April 20th.

Elias Zerhouni, president of global research and development at Sanofi, said: "I am enthusiastic about this collaborative endeavour … which will promote and support research teams capable of making a real difference in the lives of patients and in key areas of public health."

Last month, Sanofi announced that it will be supporting the World Health Organization on new efforts to combat a number of neglected tropical diseases over the next decade.