Launch of the Foundation for the Maison Française d'Oxford

Photo Credit: (c) Olivier Delouis

On Tuesday 20 February, we launched the Foundation for the Maison Française d'Oxford at a ceremony held at the French Embassy in London. This foundation, hosted by the CNRS Foundation and chaired by Fred Thibault-Starzyk, will enable the MFO to receive donations to expand its research activities and intensify scientific exchanges between France and the UK.

Hosted by Minh-Hà Pham, Science and Technology Counsellor at the French Embassy, the evening included speeches by the French Ambassador Marie-Hélène Duchêne, the Chancellor of Oxford University Lord Patten, the President and CEO of the CNRS Antoine Petit, the President of the new foundation Frédéric Thibauklt-Starzyk, the Director of the MFO Pascal Marty, and two doctoral researchers from the MFO Thibaut Auplat and Anne Fenoy.

Catriona Seth, Professor of French Literature at Maréchal Foch, gave a keynote on the role played by France and the French language in Oxford over the last few centuries and on the place of the Maison Française today.

Michel Mortier, the Director of the CNRS Foundation, explains that "this new foundation is the 12th foundation under the auspices2  of the CNRS Foundation. It will enable the Maison Française d'Oxford to develop its funding through patronage and drive new funding for dedicated projects". Donors benefit from French and UK tax reductions through the Transnational Giving Europe scheme and the UK's Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) which the CNRS Foundation is a member of.

Read the dedicated article on the CNRS website