About us
The foundation
A new name, the same story
In 2007, Bernard Majoie created the Fournier-Majoie Foundation, driven by the desire to “give back” and put part of his success at the service of researchers fighting cancer.
The Foundation’s original name reflects his story and his attachment to Laboratoires Fournier, to which he devoted a large part of his career.
Fournier-Majoie is our legacy, and today this story continues under a new name:
UP against cancer means rising up together against cancer. The name also evokes the upward movement of a discovery as it progresses from the lab to the patient (from research to cure). It is the collective drive of everyone who stands up (researchers, donors, philanthropists, YOU) to move research forward. This momentum is reflected even in our logo, whose rising line expresses the same collective energy and optimism.
mission
Our mission
To save lives,
we identify, fund and support researchers so that their scientific discoveries benefit people living with cancer.
We identify
Our experts carry out a rigorous selection based on 14 criteria (scientific, commercial and financial), validated by our scientific board.
Does the project meet a real medical need? Is it truly innovative? Does it stand up to the critical scrutiny of independent experts?
We fund
We offer project leaders financial support of up to €2.5M, at the stage when traditional investors remain cautious. This creates a leverage effect: our commitment reassures other funders, eases access to public funding and paves the way for additional financing.
On average, every €1 donated generates €8 for our project leaders.
We support
The Foundation gives its award winners access to a broad network of experts (scientific, legal, financial, business) and of private and public investors to support their fundraising.
results
2025 Impact and Progress Report
Discover the scientific progress of the innovative cancer projects we support and the new award winners selected in 2025 with the same rigor that defines us.
Explore our unique approach to philanthropy (100% model, entrepreneurial DNA and virtuous circle) and see the concrete results of your commitment alongside us.
Our impact: more than €3,000,000 fully dedicated to research in 2025 and 200 jobs created at our project leaders’ companies since our founding.
history
Why we exist
A conviction that became a mission
The Foundation was born from a conviction held by Dr. Bernard Majoie: too much promising cancer research never reaches patients for lack of appropriate financial and managerial support.
For 35 years, he devoted his career to the research and development of Laboratoires Fournier, which he grew from 400 to more than 4,000 employees.
Drawing on this experience, he decided to “give back.” In 2007, he created the Foundation and endowed it with part of his personal fortune to give researchers the means to turn their discoveries into solutions for patients.
Bernard Majoie passed away in 2021, taken by cancer.
An ambition that lives on
In 2017, for the Foundation’s 10th anniversary, Bernard Majoie passed the torch to his son Jérôme, who continues his work with the same ambition: “Taking an entrepreneurial approach to beating cancer.“
Since then, the approach has been strengthened, the selection criteria refined and the network of experts expanded internationally across scientific, clinical, financial and entrepreneurial fields.
This high standard is paying off: several supported projects have reached major milestones and entered the clinical phase, offering the first patients new solutions and new reasons for hope. Today, the Foundation continues this momentum to give the most promising discoveries the best chance of saving patients.
values
Our values
Helping
Altruism and empathy guide every action of the Foundation: helping researchers turn their discoveries into innovative therapies, bringing hope to patients and saving lives.
Passing it on
“Giving back” is a philosophy dear to our founder and one of the driving forces behind our work. Each award winner commits, if successful, to helping future researchers in turn. Having been helped, they become helpers and contribute to the virtuous circle that defines the Foundation.
Commitment
We combine altruism, no personal enrichment and a multi-year commitment. The members of the Board of Directors and the Scientific and Investment Board, as well as the CEO, serve pro bono. With its entrepreneurial DNA, the Foundation does not hesitate to commit its capital after a rigorous project selection.
Professionalism
We are committed to transparency, through our 100% Model, and to rigor, through a strict selection process for scientific projects, in order to minimize risk and bring our award winners’ treatments all the way to patients.
The team
Day to day, the Foundation is actively managed by an operational team made up of Jérôme Majoie (Chairman), Mathilde Jooris (Philanthropy), Coralie Lion (Communications), Natalia Cechagias (Finance and Administration) and Serge Schmitz (Fundraising Strategy and Marketing).
The scientific team comprises Ana Maricevic, who focuses primarily on competitiveness analyses, and Dr Peter De Waele, who oversees the scientific aspects and intellectual property matters.
They are supported by our Scientific and Investment Board and a broad network of experts.
The Foundation’s strategic direction is set by our Board of Directors.
