The ‘Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale’ (Inserm) is an internationally known research institution established more than 50 years ago which operates under the joint authority of the French Ministry of Health and the French Ministry of Research. As the only French public research institute to focus entirely on human health, in 2008 Inserm took on the responsibility for the strategic, scientific and operational coordination of French biomedical research. As regard to its international dimension, Inserm played a leading role in creating the European Research Area and boosts its standing abroad through close partnerships (teams and partner laboratories), which includes International Associated Laboratories in Europe, Asia, North and South America, and in Africa. Also, since 2012, Inserm is in charge of the administrative support for the French National Agency for Research in AIDS and Hepatitis (ANRS), internationally renowned for the numerous studies funded in low and middle income countries since its launch in 1988.