In October 2023, the French government launched Make It Iconic. Choose France, an international and evolutive communication campaign designed to show how France can be attractive. Throughout the months, spotlights shed the light on new icons of French excellence. And it’s the turn of two new icons to stand tall: forefront researcher Pr. Fabrice Barlesi, oncologist and general director of the Gustave Roussy institute, and the Chambord palace, a jewel of the French historical heritage.
The Make It Iconic. Choose France communication campaign, aka Marquez les esprits. Choisir la France in French, has a very clear objective of “promoting the attractiveness of France internationally”. It promotes the assets of France in terms of industrial and economic dynamism, innovation spirit, cultural and artistic vitality, know-how and tourism richness. The campaign, jointly launched in six countries (Germany, Canada, United Arab Emirates, India, the United States and France) is relayed worldwide with the French diplomatic network and the operators of the State. To drive this desire to shine, several profiles and iconic locations are charged of representing France and embody “each in their own was, a career and a daring spirit” to invite everyone to “live, dare, and share the audacity that made France”.
Fabrice Barlesi, one of the most influential researchers in the world
Individuals chosen to embody this idea of France is based on gender-equality, and they represent various aspects of excellence: gastronomy, fashion, science, sports, entrepreneurship… With professor Fabrice Barlesi, French research is under the spotlights. Thanks to innovative programmes driven with the teams from the Gustave Roussy Institute, the new flagship of the campaign embodies this form of French-style audacity.
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Fabrice Barlesi is a great oncologist, lung cancer specialist, high precision medicine and immunology of cancers, and director of the Gustave Roussy Insitute, first French and European centre for cancer, and fourth worldwide. As the French government’s information website explains, his work is to “customise treatments against cancers, including its most complex forms, to improve predictions while reducing side effects”. The Gustave Roussy Institute also explains that Fabrice Barlesi is “one major players in research into innovative cancer therapies”, a programme that even aims at “curing cancer in the 21st century”. He is also included in the Web of Science Group’s list of the world’s most influential researchers (“Highly cited researchers”).
The Gustave Roussy Institute includes a high number of world-class researchers and drives “innovative precision medicine and personalised treatment programmes”. Research carried out at Gustave Roussy, says the Institute, “meets society’s needs in terms of cancer”. It is integrated in medical care “because it is in the context of care that the data on which research is based is collected from patients, and it is for the care of patients that the results of research are used”.
Château de Chambord, an iconic monument for over five centuries
On the occasion of the European Heritage Days, the Government announced that the Domaine national de Chambord was the new “flagship-monument” of the international campaign Make It Iconic. Choose France. Chambord has been an “iconic monument for over five centuries”, a symbol of the Renaissance that has now become a “meeting place for contemporary culture”. According to the Government, it is “a monument that demonstrates the ability of our heritage to shine on the international stage, embodying the values of excellence and creativity that we defend on a daily basis”.
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The second most visited palace in France (after Versailles), Chambord boasts over a million visitors every year, a figure that confirms the admiration and fascination it has aroused throughout the world for more than 500 years. Placed on France’s first list of historic monuments in 1840, the palace is present in the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. It is “one of the most astonishing buildings of the Renaissance and the largest enclosed park in Europe at 5,440 hectares”. Owned by the French state since 1930, the Domaine national de Chambord is an entity under the high protection of the President of the Republic and the supervision of the ministries responsible for culture, agriculture and the environment.
More French icons to mark the spirits
In the Make It Iconic. Choose France communication campaign, additional French icons have been chosen “to mark the spirits”. The Domaine national de Chambord joins other French icons, such as the Eiffel Tower, Mont Saint-Michel, Notre-Dame de Paris and the Cité du vin in Bordeaux, in embodying France around the world.
Fabrice Barlesi is joined by Sophie Adenot, aspiring astronaut; Antoine Dupont, the world’s best rugby player; Thomas Pesquet, Commander of the European Space Station; Philippe Starck, avant-garde creator and designer; Nina Métayer, world-renowned pastry chef; Yann Le Cun, pioneer of artificial intelligence; and Marie-Amélie Le Fur, nine-time Paralympic medallist.