What is the distinguishing feature of the partnership between Institut Pasteur and Total?

Besides supporting research, we team up with our respective local partners on public health projects in countries with scarce resources. Focused on a specific pathology and/or population category, our initiatives can later be replicated elsewhere and/or extended to other diseases. The local Institut Pasteur provides its expertise and Total works alongside communities. Together, we're learning to more accurately identify the factors that lead to success in prevention and health care access.

What else is valuable in your partnership with Total?

It allows us to intervene in countries where the availability of health care professionals and infrastructure are often weak links. It is not Institut Pasteur's job to invest financially in those areas. So we complement each another beautifully, with Total providing funding.

What is the best way for companies to get involved in the fight against malaria or HIV/AIDS?

The multinationals operating in Africa have long had to deal with the impact of these pandemics on their employees. They have gradually learned to share their best practices with one another and with stakeholders from the scientific community, government and non-profits. There is no single model or easy recipe. But we're starting to see real co-investment initiatives in the field, thanks notably to the work of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.