Public and private governance

Combining the public model, with the support of its founding and private partners, Liryc is positioning itself to nimbly fast-track innovation for the direct benefit of patients suffering from heart rhythm disorders.

An original public-private model

Funding and public support

Upon its creation, the Liryc university hospital institute benefited from a provision of funds from the French state as part of the “National Investment Programme” of €45 million over 10 years, recently renewed in 2019 for an additional €16 million.


Since then, the Institute has been supported by its founding members: the University of Bordeaux, the University Hospital of Bordeaux the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA) and the Nouvelle Aquitaine Region.


The founders provide resources to the institute, support its strategic orientation and ensure its smooth running. Liryc also has two major academic partners, the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM) and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). The Aquitaine Regional Council has joined this project by providing a financial contribution worth €15 million, invested mainly in the construction of buildings.

Private funding and support

The management of the university hospital institute is ensured through a sheltered foundation, the Bordeaux University Foundation. Under its auspices, Liryc, with the status of “scientific cooperation foundation”, can thereby adapt to the specific needs of certain projects, join forces with private players and manage both public and private funds towards a self-financing objective. This status provides maximum flexibility, agility and responsiveness, making it possible to combine the best of the public and private fields to fast-track research and innovation in heart rhythm disorders.


This agile model, specific to university hospital institutes, demonstrates financial attractiveness with manufacturers, making it possible to develop collaborations with the private sector and to associate public forces with the skills of the private sector to structure a centre of excellence in electrophysiology.


Private donors and fundraisers also play a key and growing role in funding the university hospital institute and scientific projects to reduce the prevalence of heart arrhythmias.

Institutional partners

Founding partners:

Université de Bordeaux
Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine
CHU de Bordeaux
Inria

Academic partners:

CNRS

Institutional governance partners:

Decision-making and advisory bodies

The General Director of the institute, Prof. Pierre Jaïs, the Deputy General Director, Dr. Mélèze Hocini, and the General Secretary, Séverine François, rely on several bodies. The strategic and general orientations of Liryc are defined by a Management Board and an International Scientific Board, which are supported by a Management Committee for training and monitoring of the activity programme.

Management Board 

The Management Board’s mission is to ensure the smooth running of the Institute by deciding on its strategic orientations, while exercising control over its management and financial health.


It is chaired by Michel Vounatsos, Global CEO of Biogen, and comprises:

  • Representatives of the various institutional and manufacturing partners of the Institute
  • Representatives of the medical and scientific professions involved in the project
  • A patient representative

International Scientific Board

Liryc’s International Scientific Board is made up of international leaders in the field of cardiac electrophysiology.

Its mission is to give an opinion on the main scientific orientations of the Institute and its annual action programme. It meets every two years on the occasion of the international workshop.

  • Prof. Barbara Casadei, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
  • Prof. Dobromir Dobrev, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany

Board of Directors

Prof. Pierre Jaïs has been General Director of Liryc since February 1, 2021. He is supported in his duties by Prof. Michel Haïssaguerre, Honorary President, Dr. Mélèze Hocini, Deputy General Director, and the General Secretary, Séverine François, as well as team leaders.


This team constitutes the Board of Directors, which is responsible for the preparation and proper execution of programmes and operations within the Institute. Its mission is to instruct and present to the Management Board the programme of activity, the budget, the partnership projects, contracts and donations earmarked for the Liryc university hospital institute, as well as any other issue necessary for the smooth running of the Institute.Once a month, an extended Board of Directors brings together all the team leaders to discuss Liryc’s scientific strategy, its organization, the life of the Institute and the research tools to be put in place.