- Research
A strengthened collaboration to better address global public health challenges.
Crédit : Christian Tremblay
The Pasteur Network (PN) and the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) are announcing the extension of INRS’s membership in the international network. Previously held by the Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Research Centre (AFSB), the membership now extends to INRS as a whole and all five of its research centres. The decision was approved by the PN General Assembly, which met in Brussels on June 26.
Located in the heart of the Cité de la Biotech in Laval, INRS’s Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Research Centre (AFSB) is today a major hub for research in infectious diseases and global health. A member of the Pasteur Network since 2005, the centre is part of a long tradition of collaboration with the Pasteurian community, in keeping with the legacy of Armand Frappier, a Québec pioneer in microbiology, immunology, and public health. Its teams work on chronic viral infections, antimicrobial resistance, the links between environmental pollutants and disease, and the potential of microorganisms for biotechnology development, with an ecosystem approach to human, animal, and environmental health.
By extending membership to the institution as a whole, the Pasteur Network is opening its collaborations, platforms, and programs to the entire INRS community. As a university-level institution dedicated exclusively to research and graduate training, INRS brings together interdisciplinary teams in fields that are strategic to the economic, social, and cultural development of society.
The health challenges we face (emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, the health impacts of climate change) cannot be solved in a single laboratory or within a single discipline. By welcoming INRS as a whole, the Pasteur Network is gaining far more than a member: it is gaining a research environment where the health, environmental, digital, and social sciences already work side by side. This is exactly the kind of collaboration our network seeks to make possible.
Mario Moreira, President of the Pasteur Network
INRS was founded on the conviction that society’s major questions require breaking down the barriers between disciplines. Joining the Pasteur Network as an entire institution is a natural extension of that vision on the international stage. Our five research centres, along with the joint research units we have developed with many partners, will now be able to contribute fully to the network’s work, from environmental surveillance of infectious diseases to diagnostic technologies and the social and territorial determinants of health.
Luc-Alain Giraldeau, Chief Executive Officer of INRS
The Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Research Centre has long been INRS’s gateway to the Pasteur Network. This extension does not change our commitment in any way—it multiplies it. It will enable our professors in the other centres to join international collaborations that we have been helping to build within the network for more than twenty years.
David Chatenet, Director of the INRS Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Research Centre
The strengths of the AFSB Centre are now complemented by those of four other INRS research centres, whose expertise enriches that of the network:
- Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie Research Centre: microbiology, virology, immunology, biotechnology, and public health research, from fundamental mechanisms to therapeutic, prophylactic, and diagnostic agents.
- Eau Terre Environnement Research Centre: environmental health, water quality, ecosystem monitoring, environmental microbiology, climate change adaptation, and surveillance of the environmental determinants of infectious diseases.
- Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre: advanced materials, nanotechnology, photonics, sensors, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies applied to the development of diagnostic tools, biosensors, imaging approaches, and data-driven health solutions.
- Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre: population health, social determinants of health, public policy, knowledge transfer, and community resilience.
- Ruralités durables Research Centre: a centre under development, with expertise in remote rural health, rural epidemiology, and the social and territorial determinants of health.
This contribution also draws on the joint research units (UMRs) that INRS has developed with its partners in the Université du Québec network, as well as with government agencies, public institutions, and companies. As genuine meeting points between the academic, government, and socioeconomic sectors, these units foster the development of high-impact knowledge and solutions in fields ranging from health and the environment to advanced technologies and societal issues. This ability to bring complementary expertise together around shared challenges is a natural asset for the Pasteur Network, whose mission is built on scientific collaboration on a global scale.
In practical terms, this extension means that all INRS researchers, scientific staff, and graduate students are now eligible to take part in Pasteur Network activities: the PNLink collaborative platform, PN courses and training, the SPARK program supporting early-career scientists, scientific working groups, and opportunities for networking and building collaborative projects among members. It creates new opportunities for collaboration and extends INRS’s commitment to the next generation of scientists and to dialogue with society across the entire PN.
This announcement comes just weeks before the Pasteur Network Annual Meeting (PNAM 2026), which INRS will host in Laval in early November 2026. The meeting will bring together PN members and provide a first opportunity to put into practice the collaborations made possible by this expanded membership.