Missions
The IGBMC's mission is to develop knowledge on living organisms thanks to an environment that promotes cutting-edge research. The institute also has two other missions, that of developing research through projects with industrial applications and that of training future scientists by enabling them to develop decisive skills for their future careers.
Generating knowledge on biological sciences
The primary mission of the IGBMC is to produce knowledge about the living world. To do this, the Institute provides an environment that encourages research, interaction between scientists and the provision of highly technical platforms and services.
Historically specialized in structural biology and the study of eukaryotes, the Institute now focuses on six main areas :
- integrative structural biology ;
- developmental biology
- functional genomics
- cancer ;
- translational medicine;
- neurogenetics.
Supported by state-of-the-art technological platforms and scientific services, the IGBMC produces nearly 250 scientific articles per year.
Promoting research through large-scale projects
Located in the Illkirch-Graffenstaden Innovation Park, the IGBMC is at the heart of the Alsace Biovalley competitiveness cluster. Interacting with other academic and industrial players, the Institute is involved in several large-scale projects to promote its research and equipment.
The institute is historically based on very strong industrial partnerships. It is itself the result of a strategic partnership between the CNRS, INSERM, Louis Pasteur University and Bristol-Myers-Squibb (BMS), which financed the construction of the building in 1994 and supported the research conducted at the Institute for several years. The Mouse Clinical Institute (MCI) has also established important partnerships with pharmaceutical companies. In addition to these large-scale contracts, many research teams have already obtained contracts with pharmaceutical companies such as Wyeth, Sanofi-Aventis, CellVir, etc.
Training tomorrow's scientists
As an international biomedical research center, one of the main missions of the IGBMC is to train students in the most up-to-date biology. Thanks to an excellent training environment, the institute currently welcomes nearly 250 students and post-doctoral fellows from some 40 different countries.
The institute has strong links with the Ecole doctorale des sciences de la vie et de la santé (ED 414) of the University of Strasbourg and is the only one authorized to deliver PhD degrees in biology. Since 2018, the IGBMC has also participated in the IMCBio University Research School (EUR), whose objective is to offer high-level cross-disciplinary training in biology research from the master's to the doctoral level.
Finally, it also regularly hosts workshops and training sessions allowing young researchers to exchange with experts on a specific topic.
Sharing knowledge with society
In addition to our research missions, the IGBMC is fully committed to the National Strategy for Scientific, Technical and Industrial Culture. The Institute has thus chosen to exhibit its research and contribute to the science-society dialogue by supporting and developing the curiosity and scientific culture of the younger generations.