Fondation Université de Strasbourg

The Fondation Université de Strasbourg (Fondation Unistra) is a French non-profit foundation created in 2008 to support the University of Strasbourg and, since 2012, the Strasbourg University Hospitals (Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, HUS). It is a 'fondation de coopération scientifique' established under the 2007 law on university autonomy (LRU), and it operates as a partnership foundation (fondation partenariale) with legal personality, allowing it to receive donations, legacies, and corporate sponsorship. The foundation's mission is to contribute to the development and excellence of the University of Strasbourg and the HUS by funding projects in research, education, health, solidarity, and heritage. It runs fundraising campaigns targeting both major corporations and individual donors, and it manages donor-funded scholarships, emergency funds for students, and support for medical research and clinical programs. Its first major campaign, launched in 2010 under the patronage of Jean-Claude Juncker and Henri Lachmann, aimed to raise €20 million over five years; it closed in 2014 with €22.5 million. A second campaign, 'Tous Nobels', launched in 2018 with a €50 million goal, closed in 2022 having raised €56 million. The foundation has been led by Régis Bello from its creation until 2022, when André Renaudin took over the presidency. The foundation is headquartered in Strasbourg and operates primarily in France, with a focus on the Alsace region. It is a private, non-profit entity, legally autonomous but governed by a board of directors in which the University of Strasbourg holds the majority of seats. Its website, fondation.unistra.fr, serves as a donation platform and showcases projects such as the restoration of the Bary greenhouse, the donor scholarship program, the University Breast Clinic, and the student emergency fund.

The Fondation Université de Strasbourg was created in 2008 as part of the move towards university autonomy in France. In November 2007, the three former Strasbourg universities (Louis-Pasteur, Marc-Bloch, and Robert-Schuman), which were in the process of merging into the single University of Strasbourg, set up a working group on foundations. This group, comprising about twenty representatives from the three universities and from existing foundations such as the Fondation pour la Recherche en Chimie, the Cercle Gutenberg, the FnAK, and the association E.M.Strasbourg-Partenaires, aimed to give the future university a foundation as permitted by the law on the freedoms and responsibilities of universities (LRU, law no. 2007-1199 of 10 August 2007). During 2008, the working group chose the model of a partnership foundation (fondation partenariale) and drafted its statutes and annexes, which were adopted by its first board of directors in July 2008. These were then validated by an order of 28 October 2008 from the rector of the Strasbourg academy, granting administrative authorization for the foundation's creation, and published in the official bulletin of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research on 4 December 2008. On 1 October 2010, the foundation, together with the Fondation pour la Recherche en Chimie, launched a fundraising campaign under the patronage of Jean-Claude Juncker (then President of the Eurogroup and Prime Minister of Luxembourg) and Henri Lachmann (Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schneider Electric). The campaign aimed to raise €20 million over five years, targeting major corporations and individual patrons. Its goals were to strengthen research excellence at the University of Strasbourg, develop interdisciplinarity, open the university to all, and enhance its historical heritage. In 2012, the Strasbourg University Hospitals (HUS) joined the University of Strasbourg as a founding member of the foundation, making the foundation also a fundraising tool for the hospital. In 2014, the foundation closed its first campaign with €22.5 million, exceeding the initial €20 million target. In 2017, the foundation passed the €30 million mark in total funds raised and in 2018 launched a second major campaign called 'Tous Nobels', a reference to the many Nobel laureates still active at the University of Strasbourg. This campaign was planned to last four years and end in 2022 with a fundraising goal of €50 million. In 2022, the foundation closed its second campaign having reached €56 million. Its patrons include most major companies in the Alsace region and several thousand individuals. Régis Bello, who had presided over the foundation since its creation, stepped down and was succeeded by André Renaudin. The foundation is a partnership foundation under the French law on university autonomy (LRU), modified by the law on the modernization of the economy (no. 2008-776 of 4 August 2008). Unlike a university foundation, it has legal personality and is therefore legally autonomous; it is subject to the status of a corporate foundation (article 19-8 of law no. 87-571), allowing it to receive donations and legacies and to benefit from sponsorship operations. It is directed by a board of directors in which the majority of seats are allocated to the founding public scientific, cultural and professional institution (EPSCP), the University of Strasbourg. According to article 18 of law no. 87-571 of 23 July 1987 on the development of patronage, a foundation is the act by which one or more persons decide the irrevocable allocation of goods, rights or resources to the realization of a work of general interest and non-profit purpose. Thus the foundation's legal person is the University of Strasbourg, and its general interest, non-profit work is the development of the university and its partners. The foundation's missions are to contribute to the development and excellence of the University of Strasbourg and the HUS by supporting their projects; to increase their influence and attractiveness and develop innovative research, training and care programs; and to improve the reception of students, patients, researchers, doctors and staff. Its funding comes largely from donations, which allow individuals and companies to participate in the development of the university and hospitals while benefiting from tax deductions. The foundation also receives financial support from the University of Strasbourg, the HUS, and other partners.

• 2022

  Second campaign closes with €56 million; Régis Bello steps down, André Renaudin becomes president.

• 2018

  Second major campaign 'Tous Nobels' launched, aiming to raise €50 million by 2022.

• 2017

  Foundation passes €30 million in total funds raised.

• 2014

  First campaign closes with €22.5 million, exceeding the €20 million target.

• 2012

  Strasbourg University Hospitals (HUS) join as founding member of the foundation.

• 2010

  First fundraising campaign launched on 1 October under patronage of Jean-Claude Juncker and Henri Lachmann, targeting €20 million over five years.

• 2008

  Foundation statutes adopted by first board in July; creation authorized by order of 28 October; published in official bulletin on 4 December.

• 2007

  Three former Strasbourg universities launch a working group on foundations in November.

Philanthropic foundation supporting one of France's leading universities and its university hospitals, focusing on research excellence, student solidarity, health innovation, and heritage preservation.

• Bourses des donateurs de l'Université de Strasbourg

  Excellence scholarships for deserving students, funded by 800 donors over 16 years.

• Fonds d'urgence pour les étudiants

  Emergency fund to help the most deprived students continue to eat properly and pay rent.

• Clinique Universitaire du Sein

  Support for breast cancer care at the Strasbourg University Hospitals, covering diagnosis to reconstruction.

• Restauration de la serre de Bary

  Restoration and enhancement of a unique architectural and scientific heritage, home to the giant Amazon water lily.

1. 1Fondation Unistra et HUS - Faire un don pour la santé et la recherchefondation.hus.unistra.fr
2. 2Fondation Université de Strasbourg - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org
3. 3斯特拉斯堡大学基金会 - Wikidatawikidata.org