On Wednesday 14 June 2023, the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques in Côte d'Ivoire had the honour of receiving a high-level delegation from the pharmaceutical company Novartis. This visit was a privileged opportunity for the two entities to strengthen their collaboration in the field of health and sustainability.

The Novartis delegation was led by Mr Lutz Hegemann, President of the Global Health and Sustainability Division. From 9.30am to 10.45am, the Norbert Behi room at the CSRS was the venue for this discussion meeting, during which Professor Inza Koné, Director General of the CSRS, gave a brief presentation on the centre's activities and progress. His remarks were supported by those of several collaborators, including Prof. Benjamin Koudou (Director of Research and Development), Prof. Jean Coulibaly (Associate Researcher), Prof. Dieudonné Silue (Associate Researcher), Dr. Dao Daouda (Deputy Director and Director of Resources and Valorisation) and Dr. Constant Edi (Associate Researcher).

Several CSRS partners also attended the session and shared their experiences of collaboration with the CSRS. These included partners from Toronto General Hospital (Prof. Isaac Bogoch and Dr. Karl Fisher) and Stanford University (Prof. Jason Andrew).

Family photo with the guests 

The visit continued with an exploration of the CSRS laboratories, giving the delegation a concrete overview of the research underway. Finally, a visit was made to the insectarium, highlighting the CSRS's expertise in the fight against vector-borne diseases.

The meeting strengthened the ties between Novartis and CSRS, laying the foundations for a fruitful future collaboration in the field of medical research and global health.

A.J./CelCom