The Foundation is helping establish Strasbourg as a leading scientific hub in Europe
The “International Research Center at the Frontiers of Chemistry” (ICFRC), also known as the Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation, was established in 2007 by the French government as part of the Ministry of Research’s “Advanced Research Thematic Network” (RTRA) initiative, which recognized Strasbourg as a Center of Excellence in Chemistry in France.
A private-law entity recognized as serving the public interest, the Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation is a nonprofit scientific cooperation foundation. This status enables it to raise private funds to support a chemistry center of excellence in Strasbourg, the only one of its kind in France and internationally recognized, ranking first in the European Union in the 2025 Shanghai Ranking.
Working alongside the laboratories of the University of Strasbourg and the CNRS, the Foundation acts as a catalyst, helping structure, fund, and connect the research community to advance scientific excellence and foster closer ties with the wider economy and society. As an agile organization that complements these institution, the Foundation draws on a diverse range of resources—equity capital, corporate philanthropy, and institutional funding—to accelerate research and innovation in chemistry and at the interfaces between physics, biology, and medicine.
