The Committees

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The board of directors of the  Institut Cochin is composed by the director and vice-director of the Institute, the general secretary and the directors and vice-directors of the scientific departments. In addition, the heads of technology transfer and PhD Committee are systematically invited to the board meetings, as well as delegates from the administrative authorities (INSERM, CNRS, Paris Descartes University).

The board of directors is intended to

• discuss and elaborate the global scientific strategy of the Institute: identification of the major research axes, propositions regarding the turnover of teams, discussion on the budget and investments;
•  launch propositions about the organization of core facilities, general services, lab space occupancy, etc…

Board meetings are organized on a monthly basis.

THE INSTITUTE COMMITTEE

The Institute committee is composed by the members of the board of directors, and by delegates from all the staff categories: permanent scientists/University teachers/ clinicians, post-doc fellows, research assistants with a permanent or contract position, PhD students.

The Institute committee is intended to discuss about working and living conditions in the Institute, and, accordingly, to address recommendations to the direction of the Institute in order to optimize these conditions.

The Institute committee meets twice a year, in place of the corresponding board meetings.

THE PhD COMMITTEE

Over one hundred PhD students, in addition to about 50 Master students, are working in the Institut Cochin where they get a high quality research education. The PhD committee is in charge of a number of actions, aiming at the optimization of working conditions of all PhD and Master students:

• welcome new students (PhD, Master) at the Institute;
• follow-up PhD studies, in particular through the scientific tutoring system: individual tutors check that no scientific or personal difficulties may hamper progress of PhD projects ;
• organize a two-day meeting each year (usually in December) when about 30 PhD students are asked to present their work orally to the Institute scientists;
• make sure that the social environment of PhD and Master students is optimal, in terms of salaries or financial support and medical follow up;
• provide PhD and Master students with information on job opportunities, in particular trough meetings with various professionals : researchers in public or private institutions, patent officers, technology transfer officers, business developers, entrepreneurs, etc…

The PhD Committee actively collaborates with the association of “Young Scientists from the Institut Cochin” namely, JeCCo, as well as with other partners such as Charities, Universities and national biotech incubators (including Paris-Biotech Santé, located on the Cochin campus).
In addition, individual survey of post-doc fellows will be set up to provide them with the latest informations about fundings, employment and training offers and new regulations or legislation: A dedicated scientist in the PhD committee is in charge of this survey.

THE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER COMMITTEE

A technology transfer committee has been created in the Institute in 2007 to assist the Institute's scientists: it is composed of a dozen of team leaders of the Institute who have personally experienced some technology transfer processes of their results.

The major objectives of the committee are:

• to perform a regular technology survey in the Institute;
• to list all products (antibodies, cell lines, genetically engineered mice, etc…) or methods produced in the Institute, which constitute a valuable IP and are or may be the subject of transfer to Industry or Clinics;
• to assist scientists in their discussions with technology transfer officers at INSERM-Transfert (or, CNRS, University, AP-HP when appropriate);
• to cooperate with INSERM-Transfert in organizing meetings at the Institute for information of Institute‟s staff on patent applications, intellectual property (IP), MTAs, etc…;
• to identify potential partners among pharmaceutical Industries and biotech companies worldwide and to initiate scientific contacts with scientists in the Institute;
• to help prepare and follow-up contracts and licenses with biotech and industrial partners.