The Foundation helps make Strasbourg a leading scientific hub in Europe
The “International Research Center at the Frontiers of Chemistry” (CIRFC), also known as the Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation, was established in 2007 by the French government as part of the Ministry of Research’s “Thematic Network for Advanced Research” (RTRA) initiative, which designated Strasbourg as a Center of Excellence in Chemistry on behalf of France.
A private-law entity recognized as being of public benefit, the Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation has the status of a nonprofit scientific cooperation foundation, which allows it to raise private funds to support a center of excellence in chemistry in Strasbourg—the only one of its kind in France and internationally recognized, ranked number one in the European Union according to the 2026 Shanghai Ranking.
Serving the laboratories of the University of Strasbourg and the CNRS, the Foundation acts as a catalyst: it organizes, funds, and connects research stakeholders to strengthen scientific excellence and foster greater engagement with the socio-economic sector. As a flexible tool that complements government oversight, the Foundation mobilizes a diverse range of resources—equity capital, corporate philanthropy, and institutional funding—to accelerate research and innovation in chemistry and at its interfaces with physics, biology, and medicine.
