For its 9th anniversary, the AXA Research Fund is celebrating data and science

In 2007, AXA launched its scientific philanthropy initiative with two goals: to support outstanding projects supporting research and innovation in order to accelerate risk knowledge and to share this knowledge with the broadest possible audience. In nine years, the AXA Research Fund has committed more than €149 million to 492 research projects, and today it is continuing its efforts to help researchers to strengthen their contributions to public dialogue on climate, socio-economic and health issues.

For its ninth anniversary, the Fund has planned a day of celebration gathering more than 250 guests, including Henri de Castries, Chief Executive Officer of AXA, Thomas Kirkwood, Chairman of the Scientific Board of the AXA Research Fund, and Lawrence Lessig, member of the Scientific Board and Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard University.

Celebrating the AXA Research Fund’s achievements and ambitions

The €149 million invested by the Fund have been directed toward climate-related risks (27%), health-related risks (38%), and socio-economic risks (35%). Total funds of €200 million are committed until 2018.

In 2015, the Fund supported an additional 44 academic research projects in 16 countries for the advancement of risk understanding. Its dynamic research community now spans 33 countries.

Science and the data revolution

Questions about data and mastering its various applications will be at the core of the discussions held at the anniversary celebration:

• A plenary session will help participants understand the opportunities being brought by data to accelerate research and the new research sectors created by the data revolution;
• A session organized in partnership with the Data Innovation Lab (the structure created by AXA in 2014 to leverage the potential offered by data and to develop talent to accelerate the Group’s transformation) will address the economic and technological implications of data – for insurers, but also the society as a whole.

Greg Foot, the BBC science presenter and host of the AXA Research Files, will facilitate the plenary session discussions and also act as the Master of Ceremony.