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Fournier-Majoie Foundation
The Fournier-Majoie Foundation was created in 2007 by Dr. Bernard Majoie, former CEO of Laboratoires Fournier, who spent 35 years growing his family's...
Fournier-Majoie Foundation
The Fournier-Majoie Foundation was created in 2007 by Dr. Bernard Majoie, former CEO of Laboratoires Fournier, who spent 35 years growing his family's pharmaceutical firm from 400 to over 4,000 employees globally. He endowed the foundation with part of the proceeds from that success, motivated by the conviction that too many promising cancer discoveries die before reaching patients due to missing financial and managerial support. Upon its 10th anniversary, Bernard passed leadership to his son Jérôme, who now chairs the foundation's pro-bono board. Operating as a grant-making venture-philanthropy entity, the foundation targets early-stage therapeutic projects, primarily university spinouts that hold a validated pre-clinical proof of concept and a filed patent. It has examined more than 300 applications, selecting 20 laureates to date including the 2025 'DOMINO Effect' project developing an ELP3 enzyme inhibitor for resistant melanoma and colorectal cancers. Funding follows a milestone structure — tranches release upon completion of agreed development stages — and the foundation pairs capital with active entrepreneurial coaching, drawing on a Scientific and Investment Advisory Board and a network of corporate partners across Belgium and Europe. The foundation has allocated over €12 million since inception, which translates to €510,000 dedicated to research in 2025 alone. With a lean core team of five — including Jérôme Majoie, Mathilde Jooris, and Natalia Cechagias — supported by scientific advisors Dr. Peter de Waele and Ana Maricevic, it maintains offices in Brussels and participates in professional networks such as ERNOP, Un Esprit de Famille, and FlandersBio. In May 2026, the foundation continued to emphasize its 100% model, with a separate endowment entirely covering administrative and fundraising costs, in its published Impact and Progress Report. Structurally, the foundation's architecture is distinctive: an irrevocable separation between an operational endowment and project-dedicated donations eliminates overhead drag, while a 'virtuous circle' commitment requires each successful laureate to later contribute back into funding future projects. Governance resides in a six-person pro-bono board including veteran operators François Charlet of Intuitae Switzerland and Rudy Dekeyser of LSP Health Economics Funds, embedding life-science investment discipline into grant-making without seeking financial returns.
General information
Firm type
Generalist
Year founded
2007
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
Belgium
City
Brussels
Corporate office
Avenue de Fré 269 - b 44, 1180 Brussels, Belgium
Principals
Jérôme Majoie
Chairman and CEO
Bernard Majoie
Founder (deceased)
Altss tracks 3 additional named team members for this firm — including direct investment leads, IR, and operating principals not listed on the public website.
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Frequently asked questions
How is the Fournier-Majoie Foundation funded, and where does the underlying wealth come from?
The foundation is endowed by the personal fortune of its founder, Bernard Majoie, who built and later sold Laboratoires Fournier — a global pharmaceutical company he grew from 400 to over 4,000 employees. This endowment covers all operational and communication costs, while 100% of outside donations go directly to research projects. The foundation itself is a registered Belgian charity and does not pursue financial returns from its portfolio.
What is the '100% model' and how does it affect the foundation's financial structure?
The 100% model guarantees that every euro donated externally is allocated exclusively to research projects. A separate endowment from founder Bernard Majoie covers all overhead, salaries, and fundraising expenses. This structure eliminates management-fee drag common in other philanthropic vehicles and is central to the foundation's pitch to individual donors and corporate partners.
What investment stages and types of oncology projects does the Fournier-Majoie Foundation target?
It supports early-stage therapeutic projects that have completed preliminary development, hold a validated pre-clinical proof of concept, and have filed a patent. Most laureates are university spinouts launching their first start-up. Funding is structured in milestone-based tranches, and the foundation also provides competitive analysis, IP strategy support, and entrepreneurial coaching rather than passive grants.
Who makes investment and selection decisions at the foundation?
Jérôme Majoie runs day-to-day management as Chairman and CEO alongside a small operational team. Final project selections involve a Scientific and Investment Advisory Board that includes experienced life-sciences investors such as Rudy Dekeyser of LSP Health Economics Funds. The six-person Board of Directors, all volunteers, provides governance oversight.
Is the Fournier-Majoie Foundation a single family office or a philanthropic foundation?
It operates as a philanthropic foundation — a registered charity under Belgian law — not a family office. While it manages capital solely for charitable purposes, its venture-philanthropy approach borrows heavily from early-stage investment practices: competitive application rounds, milestone-based capital deployment, and active portfolio support.
Does the foundation co-invest alongside external GPs or participate in syndicates?
The foundation itself does not make for-profit investments or co-investments. Its financial co-support model involves other grant-making entities and non-profit partners providing parallel funding to the same laureates. The foundation's network of corporate and financial partners is philanthropic in nature, focused on mission alignment rather than financial returns.
How does the Fournier-Majoie Foundation maintain its project pipeline, and can researchers apply directly?
Researchers can submit projects directly via the foundation's website using a dedicated submission form. The pipeline is also sourced through relationships with European research networks such as FlandersBio and the foundation's scientific advisory network. To date, over 300 applications have been examined with 20 laureates selected.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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