Since the discoveries of L. Pasteur and C. Mérieux who revolutionized how infectious diseases are diagnosed and treated, France is a place of excellence for R&D on tropical infectious diseases. The country has proudly developed unique facilities such as the Lyon-based Level 4 Laboratory or the worldwide Pasteur Institutes' network. But as now new challenges have emerged (West Nile virus, Chikungunya virus, avian flu, etc.), France has initiated numerous programs to enhance R&D on those diseases. To preserve the French leadership, those initiatives have already al