IRIC - Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer

Published on November 14, 2019

On this National Philanthropy Day, IRIC salutes the exceptional commitment made by its Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Michel Bouvier, and his partner, Prof. Muriel Aubry, by announcing their testamentary donation in support of the Université de Montréal and the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC).

A meaningful acknowledgement
Both graduates of the Université de Montréal, Michel and Muriel have spent part of their respective careers in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine of the Université de Montréal. Michel Bouvier joined IRIC in 2005 and has been its CEO since 2014, while Muriel is a retired Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Professor, and also served as the Department’s Director.  Their strong sense of belonging and acknowledgement to the Université de Montréal community has led them today to plan this very generous donation, a legacy gift from their estate aimed at supporting IRIC’s activities, as well as those of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine.

“Paying it forward has special meaning, because I feel that IRIC is part of my family. We would like our gesture to serve as an example for others who would like to play an active part for this Institute that is so dear to me. IRIC is a diamond in the Quebec research ecosystem“, points out Michel Bouvier.

“During the course of my career at the Université de Montréal, I have seen the problems that we have faced in coming up with funds, notably with respect to scholarships for students and for operating departments. I think that it’s a good thing, as a Francophone, to make our contribution to support our universities, which the Anglophone communities do more of. Let’s build a tradition!” adds Muriel.

Fighting cancer: the mission of a lifetime and beyond
Both Muriel Aubry and Michel Bouvier have carried out research work on fundamental cell mechanisms that may be involved in developing cancer. Since joining IRIC in 2005, Professor Bouvier has gotten more directly involved in the discovery of new therapeutic approaches to fight the disease.

“Like so many others, we have had to deal with cancer. Family members and friends have succumbed too often and much too soon to this disease. The conditions in which these people die are very difficult and we hope that our gift will help accelerate the discovery of more humane treatments that will have a greater chance of being successful. One of the things we hope to accomplish through our planned donation is to support IRIC in its fight against this terrible scourge on our society”, said the couple.

Through their donation, Michel and Muriel hope that the Institute will be able to continue its missions to vanquish cancer: be a very high-level innovative research Institute with respect to fundamental research, translate knowledge into the discovery of new therapies and train the next generation of scientists.

Planned donations allow you to transmit your values and to leave your mark. They create a real and lasting impact and enable IRIC to benefit from the long-term funding it needs to discover new and better ways to vanquish cancer. There are several ways to carry out your planned donation, including by making a testamentary donation, a life insurance donation or a donation of publicly traded securities, and each of them involves different tax benefits.

For more information about planned donations, please contact Anne Lebel, Senior Development Advisor, at 514 343-6141, or by email at anne.lebel@umontreal.ca.