The three-year program is set up to invest a total of up to 6 million euros in funding innovative research projects across academic centers in France and Germany. Corresponding institutions from other European countries are expected to join in future years. This year, nineteen academic projects selected by an Academic and Sanofi Joint Steering Committee, among 190 dossiers submitted.

The Sanofi iAwards program seeks to promote potential scientific breakthroughs, especially through the exchange of knowledge between Sanofi and top academic scientific teams. It will fund and nurture selected academic projects for one year, with the potential to lead to further collaborations. The aim is to accelerate the research and development process and address patients’ needs more quickly. These efforts combine new learnings from academic institutions on the biological mechanisms of diseases, and Sanofi’s drug discovery and development capabilities.

“We are very excited with the iAwards initiative launched in Europe, a unique industry–academic partnership designed to enable a new type of healthcare innovation,” said Jochen Maas, Head of R&D Germany Hub and acting Head of Diabetes Research Therapeutic Area, Sanofi. “Europe is a core region in the Sanofi R&D organization and represents almost 50 percent of our global operations. The academic institutes in France and Germany have a critical place in the worldwide scientific community as well. Through deep and networked collaboration, we aim to ensure that the best knowledge and creativity is gathered to develop novel solutions and improve people’s lives.”