Orsay Amphitheater Baptized Nelly-Riguet
On September 5th, 2019, the amphitheater at the Institut Curie Research Center in Orsay (Building 111 on the Paris-Sud / Paris-Saclay university campus) bears the name of Nelly Riguet. This honors this great woman, a major donor who fought against cancer alongside Institut Curie.
On the occasion of the inauguration ceremony of the experimental radiobiology building on the Orsay site of Institut Curie Research Center by Prof. Thierry Philip, chairman of the Executive Board of Institut Curie, and in the presence of Frédéric Donnedieu de Vabres, chairman of the MC21 campaign committee, and numerous members of this committee, the amphitheater in building 111 on the Orsay university campus was baptized Amphithéâtre Nelly-Riguet.
“Investment in innovative, experimental and cross-sector research would not be possible without the generosity of our donors.” recalled Prof. Thierry Philip in his speech. “Like innovation, public generosity is one of the genetic components of Institut Curie”, he continued. By giving Nelly Riguet’s name to this amphitheater, Institut Curie is honoring this component of the Curie DNA.
Nelly Riguet lost both her husband and her only daughter to cancer. She also died of it in 2015. Nevertheless, this loyal donor left her whole estate, estimated at almost 30 million Euros, to Institut Curie. Nelly Riguet is therefore “a perfect witness to the ravages of this disease, and to the unfailing trust and hope placed in Institut Curie. With no heirs or beneficiaries, she symbolizes the decisive contribution from the generosity of the public. The Board of Institut Curie therefore wanted to honor the memory of her contribution and support for research into cancer by naming an emblematic place of sharing and innovation in Institut Curie after her.
Since the launch of the MC21 campaign Committee chaired by Frédéric Donnedieu de Vabres, philanthropists and company benefactors have been supporting Institut projects. As the Chairman recalled, this committee consists of 12 philanthropists from the corporate and business world, and the mission of the MC21 Campaign is to raise 21 million Euros by 2021 to fund essential and innovative projects, particularly promising in the fight against cancer and including developing innovation and research in radiotherapy and radiation biology (see opposite). The experimental radiobiology building inaugurated on the same day on the Orsay site is a crucial stage in this campaign.
In 2018, donor generosity reached 56.3 million Euros, including 29.3 million from bequests.
