UCL and Inserm to deepen collaboration in health and biomedical research

16 April 2026

UCL has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Inserm, France’s national institute for health and medical research, marking the next step in their rapidly strengthening partnership.

The new agreement builds on UCL’s delegation visit to mainland Europe earlier this year and Inserm’s visit to UCL last November, where the two institutions announced Inserm’s first Joint Lab with a UK organisation - between the UCL Cancer Institute and Institut Gustave Roussy. That collaboration has provided a strong platform for joint research, mobility schemes and aligned infrastructure planning.

The MoU was formally signed in Paris on 15 April 2026 as part of a senior visit led by UCL President & Provost Dr Michael Spence and Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement) Professor Geraint Rees.

Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost said: “UCL and Inserm share a deep commitment to research that improves lives. This new MoU strengthens one of our most productive European partnerships and creates significant new opportunities for our researchers - particularly the next generation of scientific leaders. By aligning our strengths in areas such as digital health, cancer and neuroscience, we can accelerate discovery and amplify the real‑world impact of our work.”

Professor Didier Samuel, Inserm Chairman and CEO added: “This partnership with University College London marks a decisive step in promoting researcher mobility and mentoring young talents and also demonstrates my strong commitment to raising Inserm’s international profile through scientific collaborations with the world’s leading health research institutions. Through this program, we combine our expertise to offer the new generation of researcher’s opportunities for international exchanges and personalized support, in service of excellence in biomedical research. This partnership complements the other tools that Inserm has already put in place to strengthen bilateral cooperation, through which 10 Franco-British collaborations have been funded. We thus hope to strengthen ties between our two institutions and bridge our rich ecosystems on both sides of the Channel.”

UCL and Inserm have a long-standing, high-impact research relationship. Over the last five years, the two institutions have co‑authored 3,033 publications, with particular strengths in clinical neurology, neuroscience and oncology (2021–25).

The partnership also includes 52 Horizon 2020 and 19 Horizon Europe collaborations, resulting in more than €32M in EU funding awarded to UCL.

A central element of the MoU is the launch of a new Visiting Research Fellowship scheme, modelled on the Max Planck Laws programme.

Beginning later this year, the scheme will support early career researchers seeking to apply to competitive ERC Starting Grant funding calls by offering 1- to 3-month research visits between Inserm and UCL ERC active labs.

The two institutions have also discussed potential joint appointments, alignment with Horizon Europe strategic calls, and opportunities to grow UCL–Inserm activity across major health areas such as rare diseases, pandemic preparedness, and neurodegenerative disorders (as highlighted by collaborative projects including MAGIC, ERDERA and BE READY NOW).

During UCL’s delegation visit to mainland Europe earlier this year, the two institutes also explored trilateral collaboration with Inria on digital health, including workshops on cancer, neuroscience and medical engineering.

Professor Didier Samuel was invited to visit UCL again in the coming months to continue shaping the partnership’s next phase.

UCL and Inserm to deepen collaboration in health and biomedical research

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