The Jacques Cartier Centre was founded in 1984 by Charles Mérieux, President of the Marcel Mérieux Fondation, and Alain Bideau, Director of Research at the CNRS. The centre is dedicated to the establishment and development of partnerships between Lyon, the Rhone-Alpes region and the province of Quebec, as well as the rest of Canada. The Jacques Cartier Centre brings together nearly 70 partners. For the first time, all the scientific and cultural actions of one region are brought together in one coordination structure.