The “International Center for Frontier Research in Chemistry” (ICFRC), also known as the Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation, is a Scientific Cooperation Foundation (FCS). It is a private, non-profit entity governed by the regulations applicable to foundations recognized as being of public utility.
Established in 2007 under a law enacted in 2005 to promote the development of centers of excellence across various disciplines.
In accordance with Article L. 344-13 of the Research Code, the Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation is managed by a Board of Directors comprising representatives from its founding entities: the University of Strasbourg (represented by its president and vice-president for research), the CNRS (represented by the director of the National Institute of Chemistry and the regional delegate), BASF-France (represented by its president), and Bruker-France (represented by its president). The board also includes representatives of researchers, teachers, and teacher-researchers, and provides for the inclusion of qualified individuals, representatives from local authorities, or the economic sector. The State’s representation on the Board is ensured by a Government Commissioner, who is by default the rector of the Grand Est academy. The Board elects a president (legally responsible) and a treasurer, both serving voluntarily.
Scientific decisions by the Board are made after consulting the Scientific Advisory Board, composed of individuals recognized for their scientific expertise and external to the University of Strasbourg. The majority of its members come from universities in neighboring countries.
→ Check the composition of the foundation’s governing bodies
The foundation has adopted the Action Plan for Gender Equality in the Workplace from the University of Strasbourg, a founding member of the foundation. In this framework, it adheres to the principles outlined for the following key areas:
The foundation’s accounts are managed by a chartered accountant and are annually validated by a statutory auditor before the Board meeting dedicated to closing the accounts.
Over the years, the foundation has been successfully audited by state tax services, the Court of Auditors, the General Inspectorate of National Education, HCERES, and auditors from the European Commission. These regular audits ensure transparent management and proper use of funds, which are essential for maintaining donor trust.
The foundation publishes its annual accounts and the auditor’s report on the website of the Official Journals Directorate (dedicated to associations and foundations), in accordance with decree no. 2009-540 concerning the obligations of associations and foundations related to the publicity of their annual accounts.
The Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation has a permanent endowment of €20 million, initially constituted by the State and its founders. Only the income generated from this endowment is used to enhance excellence in chemical research.
The management fees charged by the foundation range from 4% to 12%, distributed as follows:
The foundation’s resources are derived from the management fees described above, as well as annual subsidies from some of its founders and income from the initial endowment.
Thus, the ratio of annual operating expenses (structural costs/revenue) fluctuates between 7% and 8%.
Donations collected are exclusively allocated to projects chosen by the donor. The foundation has internal procedures to ensure the proper use of donations, and the statutory auditor also certifies their appropriate use.
With more than 15 years of experience in managing and coordinating funding programs, and committed to ensuring decision-making transparency, the Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation implements calls for projects and convenes its Scientific Advisory Board for each of its programs.
The Scientific Advisory Board, composed of individuals external to the foundation and the University of Strasbourg, is sovereign in its decisions and makes recommendations that are subsequently validated by the Board of Directors.
Various sources contribute to financing these programs:
In line with international standards for competitive research project selection, the foundation’s selection process is based on peer review. The foundation engages international specialists, external to Strasbourg, selected for their scientific expertise related to the projects under evaluation. These experts independently provide written evaluations (3 to 4 reports per project on average), which are anonymized and shared with project leaders after the evaluation.
Following individual evaluations by experts, the Scientific Advisory Board convenes. Collegial discussions on each project, involving at least two members of the Scientific Advisory Board and ensuring no conflict of interest, lead to a ranking of projects based on their assigned scores.
Evaluation criteria include:
The foundation annually publishes the list of projects selected for funding.
