Hieronimus Nickl, Astrid Beem, Managing Director of Nickl & Partner France, and Raphaël Greffe, project responsible of UPEC, at the laying of the foundation stone for the BRB in Paris-Créteil

A ceremony was held on 17 March to mark the start of construction of the new BRB research building at the Université Paris-Est Créteil Val de Marne (UPEC). The symbolic first stone was laid by Jean-Luc Dubois-Randé, President of UPEC, whose medical faculty will house the BRB, and Valérie Pécresse, President of the Île-de-France region

The BRB, to be built on the campus of the Henri-Mondor university hospital, will be a centre for cutting-edge university research. The 170 employees of the Vaccine Research Institute (VRI) and the Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale (IMRB) will work on the development of new vaccines against infectious diseases such as coronavirus and HIV on nine floors of class S1, S2 and S3 laboratories. Other important research topics include the impact of the environment on health, chronic diseases and modes of transmission. In his keynote address, Yves Lévy, Chairman and Director of the Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (Inserm), also emphasised the scientific importance of the BRB for biomedical research.

In addition to a state-of-the-art working environment with flexible laboratory modules, the new building will provide the scientists with attractive recreational and communication areas. Integrating the building into the lush green surroundings of the densely populated south-eastern suburb of the capital was also a key aspect of the design. Completion is scheduled for mid-2025.