Strengthening Therapeutic Innovation: AXA Mutuelles’ Generous Donation to the Strasbourg Institute of Medicines Supports Four Brilliant Ph.D. Students

In 2022, AXA Mutual Insurance launched an ambitious corporate philanthropy program focused on health. With a budget of €45 million over three years and renewed for an additional three years starting in 2025, the program supports ambitious projects each year that accelerate innovation in research, prevention, health education, and patient care, while also supporting high-quality training for young researchers and physicians. In 2023, the Strasbourg Institute of Medicines (IMS) was one of 13 recipients selected through the call for proposals for the AXA Mutual Insurance Companies’ health philanthropy program. The IMS consists of three closely integrated divisions: a research center, a development center, and a school for drug innovation management called Euridis. Each year, this school of excellence organizes a competition called the DDD (“Drug Discovery Development”) Challenge, an innovative program that AXA Mutual Insurance sought to support through a one-time donation of €616,000.

This competition, the first of its kind in France, gives a pair of interdisciplinary master’s students (in chemistry and/or biology) the opportunity to engage in a research project and collaboratively develop a solution that addresses a real therapeutic need. The winning pairs in this program receive funding for their Ph.D. studies. Research topics must demonstrate real potential to eventually lead to the creation of a startup, with the goal of developing new drugs or new diagnostic methods. Supported by researchers, professors, and industry professionals, the Ph.D. students carry out their research project over three years while exploring the possibilities for commercializing their drugs, the potential market, and regulatory considerations. In line with AXA Mutuelles’ philanthropic values—which focus on the search for new therapies and the provision of excellent training for young researchers—the group sought to strengthen this one-of-a-kind program.

Given the high quality of the projects submitted, the international jury tasked with selecting a single winning team faced a difficult challenge each year. To promote equal opportunity and ensure that no ambitious project is left without funding, AXA Mutuelles has significantly expanded the scope of the DDD Challenge by funding an additional winning team in 2024 and 2025. This donation will fund a total of four dissertations and double the number of winners—a significant gesture that encourages deserving young scientists while supporting projects that address concrete medical challenges.