Our Model

A private-public partnership

The model applied by Paris Brain Institute is built around a partnership between a public joint research unit made up of three public partners (the CNRS, the Inserm and Sorbonne University) and a private foundation with recognized charitable status, Paris Brain Institute Foundation, working with the Paris Public Hospital Network (AP-HP). This original synergy between the public and private sectors is one of the Institute’s strengths. This enables it to combine the scientific excellence of university researchers, the clinical expertise of healthcare professionals – particularly through its close links with Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital’s Neuroscience Medical-University Department (DMU) – and the technological and financial resources of private partners. Together, they create a richly productive ecosystem, guaranteeing flexibility and responsiveness.
This strong partnership is governed by a general agreement signed by the five partners, which establishes the Institute’s governance and operating procedures in all areas: research strategy and policy, governance bodies, convergence policy, teams making up the Joint Research Unit (UMR) and the Foundation, internal rules of procedure, resources allocated, shared facilities/platforms and services, development, promotion and exploitation, intellectual property, communication, protection of scientific and technical potential, risk prevention, etc. 

A university teaching hospital (Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire, IHU)

The aim of the structure created and developed by Paris Brain Institute is to implement multidisciplinary and multi-scale approaches so as to generate usable knowledge about brain function at all stages of life. Active participation by patients in the innovation process is encouraged. The complete integration of Paris Brain Institute within the hospital, the constant transfers from the patient’s bed to the laboratory, and access to unique patient cohorts are key assets and drivers of innovation.
This multidisciplinary, translational and entrepreneurial model promoted by Paris Brain Institute was awarded the ‘Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire’ (IHU) label as soon as it was created in 2012, along with five other prize-winners selected in the first wave of the program’s call for applications. The label was created by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry of Health, as part of the future investment program, to boost France's attractiveness in the field of medical research. The aim was to provide France with a number of centers of excellence in healthcare research, care, training and technology transfer.
Paris Brain Institute’s main objective, through its IHU program, is to encourage the design and development of innovative drugs or therapeutic solutions for the early diagnosis and treatment of diseases affecting the nervous system.
Paris Brain Institute’s IHU label was renewed in 2017 and testifies to the Institute’s scientific, medical and economic efficiency, recognizing its ability to integrate research, care, training, commercial promotion, and technology transfer at the highest level, in service of patients.

 

A Carnot Institute

Created in 2006 by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, the Carnot label is awarded to public research bodies that have demonstrated an ability to work effectively with industrial partners. The aim of the Carnot scheme is to develop partnership-based research to encourage technology transfer from the public to the private sector. To achieve this, public research bodies that have been awarded the Carnot Institute label receive additional funding to help them finance actions and projects that will enable them to achieve even greater professionalism in their partnerships with industrial companies.
Paris Brain Institute has been awarded the prestigious ‘Carnot Institute’ label, making it even more attractive to potential industrial partners. Partnership-based research enables the Institute's researchers to develop their research projects that have the potential to move from the laboratory to the patient’s bedside (theoretical to practical), while supporting innovation by industrial enterprises. The Carnot subsidy is helping Paris Brain Institute to finance initiatives that will enable it to maintain its scientific leadership and develop professional partnerships with industry players:

• Development of socio-economic partnerships and industrial partnership agreements: participation in public-private consortia, setting up of a LabCom, the CIFRE (Industrial Agreements for Training through Research) mechanism
  collaborating on translational research programs: repositioning or developing drug candidates (Sleeping Beauties), developing pre-clinical (GENOV) and clinical (Neurotrial) phase trials, deploying prototype solutions (Care Lab)
  implementing marketing and business development initiatives (Business Development)
  accelerating the creation of Biotech and MedTech start-ups (iPEPS)
  promoting the design of MedTech and Biotech products by increasing the level of maturity of the results from academic research (Innovation Directorate)
• Scientific resourcing initiatives: 
  international: participation at the international conference of the Society for Neuroscience, running the Neuroscience in France stand to encourage students, post-docs and researchers in the field of neurology to settle in France
  maturation: granting of funding for patent applications to increase HDR research qualifications
  training: strengthening of the Institute’s expertise by sending staff from the core facilities or research teams to be trained in new techniques developed at other national and international sites, or by inviting international researchers or visiting professors to the Institute so that they can share their expertise and their vision of effective research
  Actions to increase professionalism
  reinforcing the level of professionalism of the Business Unit and the start-up incubator
  ensuring early detection of innovative research results
  raising awareness about intellectual property (IP) among researchers
  supporting researchers in their patent filing formalities
  strengthening industrial partnerships by improving the management of research projects (meeting deadlines, project monitoring)
  
   

An economic model

The economic model of Paris Brain Institute is based on a diversity of funding, guaranteeing its independence and sustainability. The Institute benefits from public subsidies, private donations, industrial partnerships and revenues generated by its research and development activities. This balanced financial strategy makes it possible to support high-quality research while ensuring flexibility to respond to emerging scientific and medical challenges. Through rigorous management and strategic vision, Paris Brain Institute continues to grow and innovate, consolidating its position as a leader in neuroscience.

Income statement by nature and function (ISNF) and expenditure statement (ES)

2025 INCOME BY NATURE

2025 income amounted to €115.7 M: this includes €85.4 M in revenue and €30.3 M carried forward from resources allocated and not used in previous years. Income for the fiscal year consisted of fundraising revenue (€45.7 M, or 53.5%), which includes donations (€18.9 M, or 22.1%), bequests and gifts (€6.5 M, or 7.6%), and sponsorship (€19.2 M, or 22.6%) and other income from public giving (€1 M, or 1.2%), including the share of financial income calculated according to the proportion of public giving in the total resources for the year. 

It also includes:

• income from core facility activities (€11.3 M, or 13.2%) and research collaborations with industry partners (€1.4 M, or 1.6%);
• public and private grants (€19.4 M, or 22.7%);
• funding of the “IHU Program” (€3.3 M, or 3.9%);
• miscellaneous income (rental income, re-invoicing of charges, financial income) (€4.3 M, or 5.0%).

2025 ALLOCATION BY FUNCTION

Overall expenses in 2025 amounted to €115.5 M: €75.4 M used in 2025, and €40.1 M carried forward as dedicated funds, to be used subsequently from the allocated resources. In 2025, the amount of expenditure allocated to social missions was €65.4 M, representing 86.8% of total ISNF allocations.

As part of the dialogue with the Court of Auditors regarding its report on fiscal years 2020 to 2023, the Paris Brain Institute took the opportunity to clarify and refine the scope of its social missions around the following four core areas:

1. research;
2. creation and operation of advanced core facilities;
3. health innovation through the promotion of research and technology transfer;
4. the transfer and dissemination of knowledge.

Refining this scope meant that the Foundation could report more clearly and precisely on the use of funds raised from its donors and partners, while enhancing consistency between its areas of strategic direction, funding model and long-term commitments.

The 86.8% of jobs dedicated to social missions are therefore broken down as follows:

• research: 59.3%
• creation and operation of advanced core facilities: 22.1%
• health innovation through the promotion of research and technology transfer: 4.5%
• the transfer and dissemination of knowledge. 0.9%

Total investments made by the Paris Brain Institute since its inception amount to €87.8 M, allocated primarily to the core facilities supporting research.

Investments for the 2025 fiscal year amount to €6.5 M, including €4.8 M for investment in scientific equipment (including microscopes, genomics analyzers and automated systems), and €1.2 M for laboratory facilities and the Center for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science.

Net fixed assets amount to €77 M at fiscal year end. As at September 30, 2025, cash holdings amount to €57.4 M, including €40.9 M allocated to earmarked funding. The Paris Brain Institute’s equity stands at €53.2 M (including profit for the fiscal year of €0.2 M). This includes €34.7 M in net position, supplemented by investment grants of €18.5 M. The non-expendable endowment for the Paris Brain Institute is €1.2 M. At fiscal year-end, allocated funds (funds still to be invested in multi-year programs) amount to €56.3 M.

Balance sheet as at september 30 2025