The Foundation
The Mérieux Foundation was created in 1967 and recognized as a public-interest organization nine years later. It operates independently for public health. It always prioritizes a One Health approach that encompasses human and animal health and thus contributes to international efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Mérieux Foundation is at the heart of an ecosystem of centers, institutes, foundations, and laboratories created and supported by the Mérieux family. Each organization has specific objectives, operational models, and methods, yet they work together toward the shared goal of improving global health.
A global hub for dialogue and knowledge sharing, Les Pensières Center for Global Health is owned by the Foundation and supports one of its key objectives: advancing knowledge sharing in public health. Each year, it hosts over 8,000 healthcare professionals for up to 200 international conferences and scientific training sessions. The Center is also open to symposia and work meetings for organizations and companies that share the Foundation’s values.
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Established in 2011 and recognized as a 501(c)(3) public-interest organization, Mérieux Foundation USA is a separate nonprofit legal entity. It supports the Mérieux Foundation’s networks and activities, expanding its reach through strategic partnerships with U.S. stakeholders, including government agencies, businesses, nonprofit organizations, foundations, universities, and research institutions.
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Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratories are high biosafety facilities that offer technology to analyze almost any type of pathogen. Their construction is funded and overseen by the Mérieux Foundation, at the epicenter of infectious disease outbreaks in resource-limited countries. To ensure their long-term sustainability and relevance, these laboratories are immediately transferred to local public health authorities. They provide cutting-edge tools for applied research in infectious diseases and epidemiological surveillance. Within their respective regions, they help build local research and training capacities while offering clinical and biological analyses. These laboratories form the backbone of the GABRIEL network, launched by the Foundation in 2008.
Founded in 1897 in Lyon by Marcel Mérieux, a former student of Louis Pasteur, Institut Mérieux is a family-owned holding company specializing in biology for public health. It encompasses bio-industrial firms such as bioMérieux, Transgene, Mérieux Nutrisciences, Mérieux Equity Partners, Oxford Biomedica and CEVA. Presided over by Alain Mérieux and part of Mérieux Alliance, Institut Mérieux employs 20,000 people worldwide, with nearly one-third in France. It shares a deep familial history with the Mérieux Foundation and is one of its main philanthropic supporters.
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The Christophe and Rodolphe Mérieux Foundation is an independent foundation established in 2001 under the aegis of the Institut de France. It was a key shareholder of the Company Mérieux Alliance. Until 2025, the Christophe and Rodolphe Mérieux Foundation dedicated most of its resources to funding field projects, relying on the expertise and human resources of the Mérieux Foundation.
In March 2025, the Mérieux family decided to bring these two foundations together into a single, stronger, more operational, and sustainable entity by transferring the endowment of the Christophe and Rodolphe Mérieux Foundation — now dissolved — to the Mérieux Foundation.
Created in 2005, the GABRIEL network fosters exchanges and connections between leading laboratories in low- and middle-income countries, such as Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratories. GABRIEL member research units develop collaborative studies, transfer technologies, organize training sessions, and share experiences. Together, they improve infectious disease surveillance and research capabilities worldwide.
Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratories built and transferred to local public stakeholders