Firmenich Launches Research Programs in Neurosciences and Sustainability

03 Nov 2015 --- Marking its 120th Anniversary, has Firmenich announced the creation of two “Next Generation” Firmenich programs to advance basic Research in the areas of Neurosciences and Sustainability. Firmenich established these endowed initiatives at leading universities in its two chosen fields, Stanford University in the United States and the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.

“Over the past 120 years, Firmenich reinvented itself era after era while staying true to its entrepreneurial spirit and constantly pursuing breakthroughs in innovation and research”, said Gilbert Ghostine, Firmenich CEO. “The creation of these two “Next Generation” Firmenich programs reconfirms the Group’s commitment and deep passion for driving fundamental science to its next frontier in critical areas for society, Neurosciences and Sustainability”.

The endowed Firmenich Next Generation Faculty Fund at Stanford aims at supporting successive early-career faculty members working in either the field of sensory neurosciences or sustainability, to assist them in pursuing ground-breaking research and/or clinical work. The Firmenich Next Generation Chair at EPFL will enable the school to recruit an assistant tenure track professor in neurosciences to strengthen EPFL’s world-leading neurosciences ecosystem based in its Geneva Campus.

“Firmenich combines a long family history and a visionary spirit. Like EPFL, it values an entrepreneurial culture and an emphasis on innovative research,” said Professor Gisou van der Goot, Dean of the School of Life Sciences, EPFL. “We are grateful for Firmenich’s commitment, which will allow us to attract a promising young neuroscientist to EPFL”, added Professor Gisou van der Goot.

In addition, Firmenich is supporting an exchange program in the area of Chemical Biology, which will support increased research collaborations between Stanford and EPFL, including research in neurosensory pathways related to olfaction and taste.

These endowments build on Firmenich’s two long-term Chairs in Organic Chemistry at MIT, established in 1979.