Our History
Infectious diseases cause 17 million deaths each year around the world, predominantly in developing countries. For more than 50 years, the Mérieux Foundation has been taking action to help ensure that every child, woman, and man has fairer access to essential healthcare.
Dr. Charles Mérieux created the Mérieux Foundation in 1967 in honor of his father, Marcel Mérieux, a student of Louis Pasteur.
In the first few decades, the foundation’s work ranged from major vaccination campaigns in Africa and international symposia in the earliest days of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, to the first BSL4 biocontainment laboratory in Europe for research on dangerous pathogens.
Starting in the 2000s, under the impetus of Dr. Christophe Mérieux, the foundation headed into the field to build local capacities to fight infectious disease. A decade later, the foundation started to address other factors affecting the well-being of vulnerable populations with programs for education, nutrition, and socioeconomic development targeting mothers and children.
In 2012, the Mérieux Foundation USA was founded in Washington, D.C. to continue expanding the exceptional international network of partners, scientists, and public health experts improving the lives of those most in need.
Learn more about our legacy by following the timeline below, from our most recent projects to our origins alongside Louis Pasteur in 1897.
2024 (May)
Publication
Results of NOSOCOR international study related to COVID-19 are published in American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
2024 (March)
Bangladesh
Launch of Pneumo-DX study to improve diagnosis of childhood pneumonia in Rohingya refugee camp of Cox Bazar
2024 (January)
Cambodia
Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory at the University of Health Sciences in Phnom Penh earns ISO 9001:2015 certification
2023 (December)
Brazil
Charles Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease, located in Rio Branco in Acre, joins the GABRIEL network
2023 (September)
Washington, D.C.
2nd annual scientific symposium at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health: Unmet needs in tuberculosis diagnosis and case management in LMICs
2023 (August)
Benin, Nigeria, and Togo
40 new Epidemiological Surveillance Centers were established as part of the World Bank-funded REDISSE project Phase III
2023 (June)
Bangladesh
Launch of the EBC-LAM project, a study to evaluate an innovative TB diagnostic test
2023 (June)
Cameroon
The Pasteur Center in Cameroon and Mérieux Foundation inaugurate the Hygiene and Environment Laboratory in Yaoundé
2023 (May)
Burundi
Launch of the Amagara Yacu project to improve the quality of primary healthcare and epidemiological surveillance, funded by AFD
2023 (April)
DRC
The Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Goma, a regional public health laboratory, was inaugurated by the National Biomedical Research Institute
2023 (March)
Les Pensières Center of Global Health
First Epi-Course, an advanced course on epidemiology in complex emergency situations, co-organized with Epiconcept
2023
Moldova
Start of renovations at the microbiology laboratory at Toma Ciorba hospital, serving an influx of Ukrainian refugees
2022 (November)
Republic of the Congo
GABRIEL scientific network welcomes the Congolese Foundation for Medical Research located in Brazzaville
2022 (October)
Cameroon
Workshop on the management of Latent TB infection in French-speaking Africa, co-organized with Centre Pasteur du Cameroun, funded by Qiagen
2022 (May)
Washington, D.C.
1st annual scientific symposium at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health: Pioneering Ebola Response
2022 (May)
West Africa
Project Kickoff Meeting: Coordinated One Health Approach to risk assessment of hemorrhagic fever viruses
2022 (April)
Burkina Faso
Emerging and Re-emerging Pathogens Laboratory (LaPathER) in Bobo Dioulasso becomes the 21st member of the GABRIEL network
2022 (March-April)
Guinea
Sample Collection and High Throughput Sequencing Training with representatives from 5 Guinean partners
2022 (March-April)
Senegal
Field Sample Collection and Molecular Laboratory Diagnostics Trainings in partnership with LNERV and WALIC
2021 (December)
Senegal
Senegal hosts the first Advanced Course on Diagnostics in French on the African continent (Afro-ACDx).
2021 (October)
Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory of Tunisia
Opening of the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory, a level 3 biosafety laboratory, at the Institut Pasteur in Tunis.
2021 (July)
Partnership
IRD and the Mérieux Foundation renew their agreement and strengthen their cooperation on healthcare and research relating to infectious diseases.
2021 (June)
Chad, Guinea and Mali
Global Laboratory Leadership Program launch, supported by the Global Fund
2021 (April)
Morocco
Inauguration of the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory – Centre of diagnostics and expertise for tuberculosis and mycobacteria in Casablanca.
2020 (November)
Senegal
Inauguration of diaTROPIX rapid diagnostic test production unit at Institut Pasteur of Dakar.
2020 (November)
Latin America and the Caribbean
Partnership with PAHO to develop a polio containment e-learning course for the Americas
2020 (August)
Southeast Asia
Launch of SEALAB project to strengthen lab networks and epidemic response in Southeast Asia.
2020 (July)
Madagascar and DRC
Mérieux Foundation joins multi-year USAID Infectious Disease Detection and Surveillance (IDDS) project.
2020 (January)
Madagascar
Inauguration of the Alain Mérieux High School in the village of Mahatsara, built with the Akamasoa association.
2019 (November)
RESAOLAB
Launch of Phase 3 of RESAOLAB – West African Network of clinical biology laboratories.
2019 (November)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory at the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) in Goma.
2019 (October)
MOOC
New massive open online course (MOOC) on Quality Management, created with AFNOR and Institut Pasteur.
2019 (September)
ACDx
10th Anniversary of the Advanced Course on Diagnostics (ACDx), created with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
2019 (July)
Cameroon, Mali and Niger
Start of Tackling Deadly Diseases in Africa (TDDA) program initiated by the UK government.
2019 (June)
Lebanon
Inauguration of a new health center for vulnerable populations in the Bekaa plain.
2019 (May)
ADVAC
20th anniversary of the Advanced Course of Vaccinology (ADVAC), created with the University of Geneva.
2019 (March)
BAMS Haiti
The Bachelor of Applied Medical Sciences (BAMS) professional training program for senior lab technicians integrated into the State University of Haiti.
2018 (July)
Bangladesh
Launch of the study on lower acute respiratory infections in Rohingya refugee camps to determine the healthcare interventions needed.
2018 (March)
Niger
Inauguration of the Laboratories Directorate and Continuing Training Center Inaugurated in Niamey, part of the RESAOLAB project.
2018 (March)
G5 Sahel
Inauguration of a second mobile laboratory provided to G5 Sahel member countries.
2018 (March)
Guinea
Inauguration of the National Laboratories Directorate and Continuing Training Center in Conakry, built through RESAOLAB.
2018 (January)
Madagascar
Launch of the first health education kits for children with the Malagasy Ministry of Public Health.
2018 (January)
Guinea, India, Laos and Senegal
Launch of four-year project to conduct biological threat reduction activities.
2017 (October)
GTFCC
Launch of the new Global Task Force on Cholera Control strategy to reduce cholera deaths by 90% by 2030.
2017
50 years
Celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Foundation at the Les Pensières Center for Global Health.
2017
Laos
Inauguration of the first Food Safety Laboratory in Vientiane.
2017
Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Cambodia
Inauguration of the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Phnom Penh, following renovation work and strengthening of the technical capacity of the laboratory.
2017
Madagascar
Inauguration of the “Maison Bénédicte”, a training and community center for young people.
2016
Center of Infectiology Lao Christophe Mérieux Lao PDR
The Christophe Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease becomes the Center of Infectiology Lao Christophe Mérieux following official recognition by the Laos Ministry of Health.
2016
Brazil
Inauguration of the Charles Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease with a Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in the Fundhacre Hospital in Rio Branco
2015
SPHaitiLAB
Inauguration of the SPHaitiLAB project to help improve the health of Haiti’s population by conducting analyses and offering strategic advice on laboratory policy.
2015
I-Lab
Launch of the I-Lab project in an effort to help Senegal’s National Laboratory Directorate implement an automated system for collecting epidemiological data from laboratories.
2015
LAB-NET
Launch of the LAB-NET project in Guinea to establish a dedicated surveillance system for viral hemorrhagic fevers.
2015
Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Bangladesh
Inauguration of the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Chittagong (Bangladesh).
2014
Mother and Child
Launch of Mother and Child projects in Iraqi Kurdistan.
2014
Mobile laboratory in Mali
Inauguration of a mobile laboratory dedicated to the detection of the Ebola virus is set up in the Charles Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease in Bamako.
2013
RESAOLAB
Four countries join the RESAOLAB network: Benin, Guinea, Niger and Togo.
2012
Docteur Christophe Mérieux Center
Creation of the Docteur Christophe Mérieux Center in Phnom Penh (Cambodia) with “Enfants du Mékong”
2011
Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Lebanon
Inauguration of the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Beirut.
2011
BAMS Haiti
Four years after Mali, the BAMS (Bachelor in Applied Medical Sciences) training course is launched in Haiti.
2010
ACDx
The first ACDx advanced diagnostics course is held at Les Pensières Center for Global Health.
2010
Charles Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease in Madagascar
Inauguration of the Charles Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease and the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Antananarivo.
2009
RESAOLAB
Launch of the West African Network of Biomedical Analysis Laboratories (RESAOLAB, Réseau d’Afrique de l’Ouest des Laboratoires de Biologie médicale) to strengthen the health infrastructure in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal.
2009
Christophe Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease in Lao PDR
Inauguration of the Christophe Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease and the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Vientiane.
2009
Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Haiti
Inauguration of the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Port-au-Prince.
2008
GABRIEL network
Launch of the GABRIEL network, an international network of laboratories cooperating on research into infectious diseases in developing countries.
2008
Christophe Mérieux Laboratory in China
Inauguration of the Christophe Mérieux Laboratory in Beijing.
2008
Emerging Pathogens Laboratory
Inauguration of the Emerging Pathogens Laboratory in Lyon (France).
2007
BAMS Mali
Launch of the BAMS (Bachelor in Applied Medical Sciences) training course for laboratory technicians in Mali.
2007
Charles Mérieux Conference
The first Charles Mérieux Conference, on the theme of global health.
2007
Fondation Christophe et Rodolphe Mérieux
The Fondation Rodolphe Mérieux becomes the Fondation Christophe et Rodolphe Mérieux.
2005
Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Cambodia
Inauguration of the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in the University of Health Sciences in Phnom Penh.
2005
Charles Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease in Mali
Inauguration of the Charles Mérieux Center for Infectious Disease and the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory in Bamako.
2003
Faculty of Pharmacy in Phnom Penh
Reconstruction of the Faculty of Pharmacy in Phnom Penh (Cambodia).
2003
Alain Mérieux
Alain Mérieux becomes President of the Mérieux Foundation
2001
Fondation Rodolphe Mérieux
Creation of the Fondation Rodolphe Mérieux.
2000
ADVAC
Creation of ADVAC, an international advanced course in vaccinology.
1999
Jean Mérieux-Inserm BSL-4 Laboratory
Creation of the Jean Mérieux-Inserm BSL-4 laboratory in Lyon (France).
1986
Cent Gardes
Creation of the Cent Gardes Symposium dedicated to HIV at Les Pensières Center for Global Health.
1983
Bioforce Development
Creation of Bioforce development, for training human health logisticians.
1976
Granted public interest status
The Mérieux Foundation receives public interest status.
1974
Vaccination campaign in Brazil
One hundred million Brazilians are vaccinated against meningitis in a huge vaccination campaign.
1972
Association for the Promotion of Preventative Medicine
Creation of the Association for the Promotion of Preventative Medicine (known today as the Agence de Médecine Préventive, AMP).
1967
Mérieux Foundation
Creation of the Mérieux Foundation by Doctor Charles Mérieux, as a tribute to his father Marcel Mérieux.
1897
Institut Mérieux
Marcel Mérieux, a student of Louis Pasteur, creates the Institut Mérieux, dedicated to the development and production of human and animal vaccines.