The 2024 IHES Annual Report is now available online. Read the editorial by IHES President Marwan Lahoud below.
“2024 was marked by the passing of Jim Simons, who, together with his wife, Marilyn, was the most important donor in the history of IHES. Jim first visited the Institute in the 1970s and remained closely connected to it ever since. His support went far beyond generous donations: he was also actively involved in the life and development of the Institute, notably serving as a Board member since 2014. In the United States, Jim played a pivotal role in the growth of Friends of IHES, joining its Board in 2021 and becoming Co-chair with Marilyn in 2022, a position he held until March 2024.
Since his passing in May, IHES has honored Jim on several occasions, notably with a special event in July in Monaco with Marilyn aboard their yacht Archimedes, held under the high patronage and in the presence of Prince Albert II. In October, the 25th anniversary of Friends of IHES offered yet another opportunity to remember Jim’s contributions and to celebrate the organization’s success. The event brought together several long-standing supporters of the Institute, including Fields Medalist and Abel Prize winner Pierre Deligne, Permanent Professor of Mathematics at IHES from 1970 to 1984; Michael Douglas, President of Friends of IHES from 2013 to 2021; and Friends of IHES Co-founders Henri Moscovici and Bernard Saint-Donat.
As Co-chair of Friends of IHES, Jim was a driving force behind the creation of an endowment fund in the United States, complementing the Institute’s endowment in France. With his characteristic ambition and foresight, he set a fundraising goal of twenty million dollars to be reached in less than three years. To support this effort, Jim and Marilyn pledged to match every donation up to ten million dollars through the Simons Foundation International. I am certain that Jim would be delighted to know that this goal was indeed achieved, even ahead of the deadline he had set in early 2022. Today, the U.S. endowment fund already supports concrete initiatives at IHES, such as the Jean-Pierre Bourguignon Chair, established in February 2024, and currently held by IHES Permanent Professor of Mathematics Dustin Clausen.
This outstanding success highlights the vital role of partner organizations such as Friends of IHES, and I am delighted to announce the creation of IHES Trust UK, chaired by Francis Brown, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and former CNRS Research Director at IHES. The launch ceremony of this new partner organization in the United Kingdom will take place in London on June 12, and is expected to generate important momentum as the Institute prepares to start a new fundraising campaign in December.
As a pioneer of fundraising in higher education and research in France, IHES relies heavily on philanthropy, with more than half of its budget supported by private donors. As we prepare for a new fundraising campaign, we are counting on your support, and I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have already committed to the Institute’s mission: scientists, staff, the Board of Directors, partners, donors and friends, and all other members of the IHES community.”
Photo credit: Chris Peus / IHES