Our Missions
The Fondation FondaMental is a scientific cooperation foundation created in 2007 at the initiative of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. Its founding members include Inserm, the CEA, AP-HP, and three Paris-based universities (Université Paris-Est Créteil, Sorbonne University, and Université de Paris).
Dedicated to improving the diagnosis, understanding and treatment of mental disorders, the Fondation FondaMental combines innovation in care organization with support for cutting-edge research to promote a personalized and multidisciplinary approach to psychiatric conditions.
Our actions are structured around four main missions.
Advancing research
We accelerate research and innovation in psychiatry to better understand and treat mental disorders. Our teams have achieved significant advances, including:
- the identification of genes associated with autism and schizophrenia,
- the discovery of links between the microbiome and the brain,
- the identification of brain regions involved in psychiatric disorders.
We bring together more than 100 research teams and partners and foster numerous European and international collaborations.
Empowering clinicians and researchers
The Fondation FondaMental provides teams from the Expert Centres and members of its “Alliance” network [link] with a comprehensive set of tools and support to strengthen psychiatric research. In compliance with current regulations, teams benefit from access to standardized (and anonymized) clinical and biological databases, shared protocols, monitoring and communication tools, as well as support in designing and managing research projects, including access to public and private funding.
Through Lab’FondaMental [link], composed of multidisciplinary experts (project managers, clinical research associates, statisticians, data specialists), each clinical and research team receives support in protocol design, regulatory management, data analysis and project acceleration. Together, these resources enable the Fondation FondaMental to facilitate collaborative research, accelerate innovation and promote precision psychiatry at both national and international levels.
The Fondation FondaMental also provides scientific and educational support : regular training sessions, monthly meetings, thematic schools and webinars enable clinicians and researchers to stay at the forefront of innovation and precision psychiatry. Grants, awards and privileged access to data and tools also support the projects of early-career researchers and PhD students. Together, these initiatives make the Fondation FondaMental a key driver of clinical and scientific excellence in psychiatry.
Supporting patients and caregivers
We improve early diagnosis for patients. To achieve this, we have developed the FondaMental Expert Centres, which provide standardized assessments for patients living with treatment-resistant depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders or autism spectrum disorders. Today, more than fifty centres are established across France. They serve as a link between diagnosis and clinical research and have enabled the assessment of more than 20,000 patients.
Raising awareness to break stigma around mental disorders
The Fondation FondaMental is committed to breaking misconceptions and reducing the stigma surrounding mental disorders. We use our website, digital platforms, social media and regular media outreach to take a stand on these issues.
This commitment is reflected in a range of accessible formats for the general public, including the podcast “FondaMental Talk”, monthly interviews, “Research Highlights”, and a weekly press review.
