The International Research Project (IRP) in Integrative Metabolism is a joint project between the University of Lille, Imperial College London and CNRS (“Metabo-LIC”), establishing a long-term partnership that serves as a hub for collaborations between the French and UK communities. It is part of the CNRS – Imperial International Research Centre for Transformational Science and Technology.

Foundations and aims of the IRP Metabo-LIC

The collaboration between CNRS and Imperial College in Integrative Metabolism started two decades ago, through Prof. Froguel (Director, CNRS UMR8199 Epigenomics of Diabetes at University of Lille)’s appointment as Professor of Genomic Medicine at Imperial. Many researchers from CNRS UMR 8199 and Imperial are strongly involved in several IMI (Imidia, Direct, and Rhapsody) and European (Metacardis, IMMEDIATE, OBELISK) consortia and UK Medical Research Council (MRC) projects. These stepping stones built collaborative success between Imperial and CNRS and served as a basis for expanding cooperation.

The IRP Metabo-LIC is located within Imperial's Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, which is part of one of the biggest faculties of medicine in Europe. Imperial College is among the top five universities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) in the UK and ranks within the top universities in all worldwide rankings.