What Fondation FondaMental does

Fondation FondaMental is a French non-profit scientific cooperation foundation (fondation de coopération scientifique) created in 2007 by decree of the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research at the initiative of Professor Marion Leboyer. It is dedicated to advancing precision psychiatry across four core pathology areas: treatment-resistant depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and autism spectrum disorders without intellectual disability. The foundation operates a nationwide network of 55 specialized Expert Centres embedded in French public hospitals (including AP-HP, Henri-Mondor, Albert Chenevier) that deliver multidisciplinary, standardized diagnostic assessments for patients with severe mental disorders.

Its research infrastructure comprises the FACE clinical database, the BIO-FACE biological sample bio-collection, and the PSY-COH national cohort programme, all built from anonymized data collected through the Expert Centres and made available to qualified external researchers under an open-science access charter. The foundation coordinates the Alliance FondaMental network (100+ academic teams internationally) and complements clinical infrastructure with digital tools for end users: Léo 2.0 and eBREF for caregivers and families, and My-Mood.fr for youth mental health screening (in partnership with Île-de-France Region). It also runs the Lab' FondaMental project accelerator and a monthly webinar series (FondaMental Conferences) on precision psychiatry.

The foundation's business model is multi-source and non-commercial: (1) donations from individuals, corporations, and philanthropic organizations, with tax-deductible options for French donors; (2) institutional funding and government grants from the French Ministry, ANR, France 2030, regional authorities, and the European Commission; and (3) corporate partnerships and sponsorships supporting named research prizes (Marcel Dassault Prize €90,000 with Groupe Dassault; Precision Mind Prize €250,000 with Wakam; Lilly Grant €4,000 with Lilly; FACE Prize €2,000 with Boehringer Ingelheim) and the Young Talents in Psychiatry doctoral programme with the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation. Recent thematic priorities include immuno-psychiatry, precision neuroimaging, women's mental health, and youth mental health, with AI and digital innovation positioned as a frontier through the upcoming PsyTech 2026 annual event.

Name

Fondation FondaMental

Legal name

FONDATION FONDAMENTAL

Website

https://fondation-fondamental.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fondation FondaMental is a French non-profit scientific cooperation foundation founded in 2007 that advances precision psychiatry through a nationwide network of 55 Expert Centres, the FACE/BIO-FACE databases, a 10,000+ patient cohort, and grant programmes supporting psychiatric researchers, patients, and families across four core mental disorder areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Research

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Precision psychiatry research
• Mental disorders diagnosis
• Clinical research database
• Psychiatric expert centres
• Mental health foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Créteil

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation receives donations from individuals, corporations, and philanthropic organizations to support psychiatric research and innovation. Tax-deductible donations available for French donors.
2. Institutional Funding and Grants: Funding from government bodies including French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, France 2030, ANR, and regional authorities. Includes public research financing.
3. Partnership and Sponsorship: Corporate partnerships with pharmaceutical companies (Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim), insurance companies (Wakam), and foundations (Dassault, Bettencourt Schueller) providing research funding and prizes.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fondation FondaMental is a French non-profit scientific cooperation foundation dedicated to precision psychiatry in severe mental disorders. It federates a nationwide network of university-hospital Expert Centres that diagnose and follow patients, collects clinical and biological data through its FACE database and BIO-FACE bio-collection, and develops digital tools, training programmes, and open-science research infrastructure for academic and institutional partners.

Product overview

Fondation FondaMental is a scientific cooperation foundation dedicated to advancing research and innovation in mental health, established in 2007 by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. It operates as a unified ecosystem combining clinical care infrastructure, digital tools, shared research databases, grant programmes, and professional networks. At its core are the Centres Experts FondaMental — a nationwide network of multidisciplinary, standardised diagnostic assessment centres covering four major mental disorders (treatment-resistant depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and autism spectrum disorders without intellectual disability). The foundation complements clinical care with digital support tools: Léo 2.0 for caregivers, eBREF for families, and My-Mood.fr for youth mental health assessment. On the research infrastructure side, it maintains the FACE clinical database, BIO-FACE bio-collection, and PSY-COH cohort programme, all accessible to external researchers through an open science access framework. Research is further advanced through multiple grant and award programmes: the €90,000 Marcel Dassault Prize for innovation in precision psychiatry, the €250,000 Franco-British Precision Mind Prize for psychiatric biomarker research, Lilly Grants (€4,000) for Master's-level research, FACE Prize (€2,000) for scientific publication, and the Young Talents in Psychiatry doctoral programme funded by the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation. The foundation also supports the research community through the Alliance FondaMental network (knowledge sharing and collaboration), Lab' FondaMental (project acceleration), and a monthly FondaMental Conferences webinar series. Major thematic priorities include immuno-psychiatry, precision neuroimaging, women's mental health, and youth mental health.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FACE Database: FACE (FondaMental Advanced Center of Expertise) database containing clinical and biological data from Expert Centres for autism spectrum disorders, bipolar disorders, resistant depression, and schizophrenia.
• BIO-FACE Database
• PSY-COH Database
• Young Talents in Psychiatry Programme
• Lab' FondaMental
• FondaMental Conferences

Products and services

• Centres Experts FondaMental (Expert Centres Network) Network of FondaMental-Affiliated University Hospital Centres that diagnose and follow patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, autism, ADHD, OCD, and PTSD, providing free expert clinical care.
• FACE Clinical Research Database Large-scale clinical research database collecting multimodal data (clinical, cognitive, imaging) on severe mental disorders, exposed via open-science portals for academic and industry partners.
• BIO-FACE Biological Collection and Analytical Platform Biological samples bio-bank and analytical platform supporting precision-psychiatry research; sampled data accessible via the FaceDedalus (or equivalent) interface by academic and partner teams.
• PSY-COH Nationwide Patient Cohort Programme Nationwide psychiatric patient cohort programme providing longitudinal clinical and treatment data for severe mental disorders across Expert Centres.
• my-mood.fr Youth Mental Health Platform Digital information and self-screening platform targeting young people aged 15-25 years old, providing resources on mood and anxiety disorders and redirecting them to appropriate care.
• Léo 2.0 (Digital Follow-Up Tool for Caregivers) Digital follow-up tool (tablet and web) for caregivers and relatives of patients with severe mental disorders, providing educational and monitoring resources.
• eBREF Family Digital Application Digital application for families of patients, offering tailored information, support resources and psychoeducational content.
• Young Talents in Psychiatry Programme Training and award programme supporting early-career psychiatrists, residents, and young researchers in precision psychiatry, providing grants and visibility.
• FondaMental Conferences and Training Programmes Scientific conferences and training events that disseminate research findings and clinical protocols across the Expert Centres network and to the broader psychiatric community.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% of patients' mental illness associated with chronic inflammation
• +4 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• WakamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2026Partnership to launch the Precision Mind Prize worth €250,000 for collaborative Franco-British research on psychiatric biomarkers for precision psychiatry. The inaugural prize awarded in London on April 13, 2026, aims to enable earlier diagnosis, personalised treatments, and better risk modelling. Initiative part of Wakam's upstream risk prevention strategy under its Wakam for Good endowment fund.
• Boehringer IngelheimmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership for the FACE Prize supporting early-career researchers in hospital departments or Alliance network laboratories to publish international scientific articles. Laureates gain access to FACE databases built from Expert Centre networks. €2,000 gratification per award.
• Groupe DassaultcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Established the Marcel Dassault Prize for Innovation in Mental Disorders in 2012. Annual €90,000 prize awarded to a researcher and team selected by international jury for research on mental illnesses. Since 2022, rewards innovative projects in precision psychiatry. 13 laureates awarded to date.
• Laboratoire LillymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Lilly Grant programme supporting research laboratories in recruiting Master's students to develop innovative projects in psychiatry. €4,000 grant for 6-month internship. Up to three grants awarded annually. Research areas include etiology, pathophysiology, epidemiology, and clinical innovation.
• Fondation Bettencourt SchuellercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting the Young Talents in Psychiatry Programme enabling early-career psychiatrists to fully dedicate themselves to research with up to three years of PhD funding. Includes comprehensive research training through multidisciplinary seminars on methodology, project management, and scientific writing.
• AP-HP (Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding institutional partner. Expert Centres embedded in AP-HP hospital departments including Henri-Mondor and Albert Chenevier. Collaborative research including studies on heat waves and mental health.
• InsermcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey institutional partner. Inserm researchers including Dr Baptiste Pignon collaborate on Foundation research programmes. PSY-COHorte programme draws on Inserm research laboratories.
• CEA (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner contributing to PSY-COHorte programme and research network alongside Inserm, CNRS, and Institut Pasteur.
• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner contributing to national research network and PSY-COHorte programme alongside CEA, Inserm, and Institut Pasteur.
• Sorbonne UniversitémajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding institutional partner contributing to Foundation research and Expert Centre network coordination.
• Université Paris CitémajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner. Researchers such as Pr Pierre-Michel Llorca contribute to Foundation research on precision psychiatry.
• Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner hosting Foundation research including Dr Baptiste Pignon's work on heat waves and psychiatric emergencies.
• Région Île-de-FrancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner co-funding My-Mood.fr platform for youth mental health screening targeting 15-25 year olds in Île-de-France.
• Institut du Cerveau (ICM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch institute partner alongside Institut Imagine, created following same call for proposals as Foundation. Contributes to neuroscience and psychiatric research network.
• Institut PasteurmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch laboratory partner contributing to PSY-COHorte programme alongside Inserm, CEA, and CNRS.
• GHU Paris Psychiatrie et NeurosciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreater Paris psychiatric hospital system hosting Expert Centres and research activities including Young Talents programme laureates.
• Fondation AutismeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutism foundation partner contributing to autism spectrum disorder research and Expert Centre coordination.
• UNAFAMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnion nationale des familles de personnes avec maladies psychiques. Family association partner supporting patient and caregiver community.
• Les SeintinellesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch association partner contributing to Foundation's research network and initiatives.
• Institut de la VisionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVision institute research partner contributing to ophthalmology and neuroscience research network.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: Major UK-based global charitable foundation funding biomedical and mental health research at very large scale. Comparable as a much larger endowed research foundation with similar open-science and cohort-building ambitions.
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute: Large US biomedical research organisation supporting investigator-driven science. Comparable as an established, well-funded non-profit research enterprise with a long-duration horizon and investigator support model.

Others

• European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP): European scientific society for neuropsychopharmacology and psychiatry research. Comparable as a pan-European convening and training body for the same research community FondaMental serves through conferences and doctoral programmes.

Direct peers

• CHDI Foundation: Disease-focused biomedical research foundation (Huntington's disease). Comparable operating model: disease-specific foundation running large research programmes and managing data/cohort assets to enable drug discovery.
• MQ: Transforming Mental Health: UK mental health research charity funding large-scale studies and cohorts. Comparable mission, donor-driven model, and focus on accelerating research translation — particularly relevant given FondaMental's Franco-British expansion via the Precision Mind Prize.
• Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: US-based non-profit foundation funding cutting-edge research into psychiatric disorders including depression, schizophrenia and bipolar. Highly comparable as a disease-specific mental health research grantmaker operating outside government.
• Stanley Medical Research Institute: Private foundation funding research on schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Directly comparable as a high-budget, privately endowed psychiatric research foundation with deep ties to academic investigators.
• One Mind: US non-profit accelerating brain health research through large-scale data and translational programmes. Comparable as a donor-funded organisation building research infrastructure and coalitions in psychiatry.
• Fondation Autisme: French foundation dedicated to autism research and care. Comparable as a French public-interest foundation co-operating with FondaMental on autism spectrum disorder research and Expert Centre coordination.
• Institut du Cerveau (ICM): Paris-based neuroscience research institute created under the same French governmental call for proposals as FondaMental. Closely comparable French neuroscience/psychiatry research institution with overlapping Inserm/AP-HP partnerships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FondaMental_Psy
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBTpmsvj4QNhnEh3WjJ8PGA
• Facebookfacebook.com/FondationFondaMental
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondation-fondamental
• Instagraminstagram.com/fondationfondamental

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fondation FondaMental