IBM France joins forces with IHES to support fundamental research

Press release – 22 January 2020

The Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES) is proud to announce that IBM France has joined the “avant-garde de la science”, the Institute’s fundraising campaign.

“IBM was one of the first sponsors to support IHES in the 1960s,” said Emmanuel Ullmo, IHES Director. “It is very encouraging to see that a technology company finds our model still relevant to the research ecosystem and that it is renewing a partnership with the Institute.”

For more than 60 years, the IHES funding model has combined private and public support, in France and abroad. Officially launched in 2018, this third fundraising campaign aims to support scientific research in the advanced fields of mathematics and theoretical physics.

Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, Director and Chief Executive Officer of BNP Paribas, and Chairman of the IHES campaign, said: “It is essential for our country to continue to invest in fundamental research at the highest level. This is not only a knowledge challenge, it is also an innovation challenge.”

The Institute has set itself the objective of raising €30 million from companies and individuals to maintain the IHES model: excellence, interdisciplinarity and freedom of research. “IBM’s commitment is hugely encouraging for our researchers and I would like to warmly thank IBM for its support,” added Emmanuel Ullmo.