French construction giant donates 600,000 yuan to aid COVID-19 research

A French company recently donated 600,000 yuan ($84,800) to the Institut Pasteur of Shanghai (IPS) to support its efforts in COVID-19-related scientific research.

Saint-Gobain SA, a Fortune 500 habitat and construction giant, said the donation was also a recognition of the institution's significant contributions to Sino-French scientific and technological collaborations over the past years.

Tang Hong, director general of IPS, said that the institute had in the early stages of the pandemic published papers about the gene sequencing results of the COVID-19 virus, providing science-based references for researchers, doctors and governments to better understand the contagion and formulate relevant social policies.

Established in 2004, a year after the SARS outbreak, IPS is a joint venture between the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Shanghai municipal government and France's Institut Pasteur. The key objective of the institute is to contribute to global epidemic prevention and control and public health.

According to Tang, domestic and foreign scientists at the Shanghai institute have been working to set up scientific research programs for viruses such as H7N9, Zika and the novel coronavirus that have achieved impressive results.

Benoit Guidee, consul general of France in Shanghai, said he was delighted to see France and China joining hands in a time when the world is affected by the pandemic.

"Shanghai has recently set a target of becoming one of the world's safest cities with regard to public health in 2025, and France is happy to contribute to Shanghai's aspiration. The support shown this time from a French enterprise is an effort of such contributions," said Guidee, during the donation ceremony in Shanghai in late May.

Javier Gimeno, senior vice-president and Asia Pacific CEO of Saint-Gobain, said that the donation, which comprised of contributions from employees, expressed the company's support for stronger Sino-French collaborations to combat the pandemic.