Introducing the Institute of Women’s Cancers

The Institute of Women’s Cancers is a university hospital institute (IHU) founded in 2023 by Institut Curie, PSL University, and Inserm. As a label of excellence under the France 2030 plan, it recognizes the expertise of its three founding institutions and highlights the importance of strengthening synergies between them. The institute aims to enhance the research-care continuum by integrating the scientific, medical, and paramedical expertise of Institut Curie with that of its co-founders and patient associations.

By serving as a catalyst for breast and gynecological cancer research, the Institute of Women’s Cancers strives to improve cancer prevention for women, increase cure rates for female cancer patients, and reduce relapses and minimize the impact of cancer on patients' quality of life. The Institute of Women’s Cancers is structured around four key pillars, incorporating insights from the human and social sciences: a deeper understanding of the biology of women's cancers to improve prevention, early detection (especially in high-risk patients), and relapse avoidance; the development of new personalized treatments to lower mortality rates, particularly in rare forms of cancer; adapting cancer management to women's quality of life while providing comprehensive patient support, and better training for healthcare professionals to address the unique challenges of these cancers. This multidisciplinary structure brings together medical, paramedical, and scientific expertise, along with contributions from companies and patient associations, to ensure a holistic approach to reducing the disease's impact on women's lives.

78,000

new cancer cases per year

12,000

women die of breast cancer every year

8,000

women die of gynecological cancer every year

The Institut des Cancers des Femmes on video

Our 3 founding members

Institut Curie, France's leading cancer center, combines an internationally renowned Research Center with a state-of-the-art Hospital Group that treats all cancers, including the rarest. Founded in 1909 by Marie Curie, Institut Curie employs 3,700 researchers, physicians, and caregivers across three sites (Paris, Saint-Cloud, and Orsay), all of whom contribute to its three missions of treatment, teaching, and research. Institut Curie is a charitable foundation authorized to receive donations and bequests. Thanks to the support of its donors, Institut Curie is able to speed up discoveries, thereby improving treatments and the quality of life of patients.

PSL brings together science, humanities, social sciences, engineering, and the arts, fostering innovation and arts. Selective and committed to equal opportunity, it trains researchers, artists, entrepreneurs and leaders keenly aware of their individual and collective social responsibilities. With 2,900 teacher-researchers, 17,000 students, 140 laboratories and multiple incubators, fab labs, and coworking spaces, PSL is a human-scale university at the forefront of academic excellence. It ranks among the world's top 50 universities in the Shanghai, THE (Times Higher Education), CWUR and QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) rankings, and is ranked 1st among universities with under 50 years of age in THE's Young ranking.
PSL University: Conservatoire National Supérieur d'Art dramatique - PSL, Dauphine - PSL, École nationale des chartes - PSL, École nationale supérieure de Chimie de Paris - PSL École normale supérieure - PSL, École Pratique des Hautes Études - PSL, ESPCI Paris - PSL, Mines Paris - PSL, Observatoire de Paris - PSL, Collège de France, Institut Curie, CNRS, Inserm, Inria.
For more information: psl.eu

Founded in 1964, Inserm is a public scientific and technological institution under the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Research. The institute is dedicated to biomedical research and human health and is involved in the entire range of activities from the laboratory to the patient’s bedside. It also partners with the most prestigious research institutions in the world that are committed to scientific challenges and progress in these fields.
For more information: www.inserm.fr

Governance

The Institut des Cancers des Femmes is hosted by the Fondation Institut Curie. Founded by Marie Curie and recognized as a public utility since 1921, the Foundation has three missions: research, care, conservation and transmission of knowledge. The Foundation is governed by a Supervisory Board and an Executive Board. Institut Curie operates as both a cancer center (as a member of the UNICANCER federation) and a research center, housing multiple joint research units in collaboration with national research organizations, including Inserm. This collaborative structure ensures efficient intellectual property management, research contracts, and governance, fostering a dynamic and productive dialogue among its founders.

To ensure efficient and agile operations, as well as the secure allocation of funds, the IHU will leverage the governance of Institut Curie, drawing on its expertise in funding management. In coordination with the administrative departments of the other IHU founders, Institut Curie manages IHU funds through a dedicated fund within the foundation, which is exclusively allocated to IHU missions and overseen by the IHU's governing bodies. Unless under exceptional circumstances, Institut Curie serves as the employer of IHU staff and is responsible for preparing financial and technical reports on the implementation of IHU projects for the funding body.

To ensure effective operational management, a dedicated governance structure has been established within Institut Curie's governance framework, with specific delegations assigned to oversee IHU activities.

This governance system meets four objectives:

Ensure optimum fluidity in IHU operations
Make the best use of existing governance bodies at Institut Curie to avoid unnecessary duplication.
Ensure that all IHU founding members have equal rights on IHU projects.
Integrate into the day-to-day operations of Institut Curie without disrupting the research departments/units (e.g., use of material and human resources, space, processes, etc.).