 C'est un plaisir de vous accueillir ici, pour une occasion très spéciale, très spéciale pour nous tous, très spéciale pour IHES, très spéciale pour moi aussi. So, dear Claire Lise and Philippe Tondeur, dear Marilyn Simons, Claire Lise and Philippe are online with us from Illinois, Marilyn is online from New York, dear Jim, who could not Jim Simons, who could not connect, but who's with us nevertheless, Dear Jean-Pierre, dear Emmanuel, dear friends, dear friends, I want to thank you for joining, because it's a very unique ceremony. It's always quite special for an institution to receive exceptional gifts, such as the ones we are celebrating today, because they allow us to create a new permanent professor chair. The story of those two gifts is even more special. The donation was initiated by Claire Lise and Philippe, matched by Marilyn and Jim. And it is special because it is a story first of a scientific collaboration and transatlantic friendship. For those of us, most of us, I mean all of us know Jean-Pierre, we know that Jean-Pierre is not very comfortable when put under the spotlight. He accepted to make an exception, because I can say it this way, he loves IHS, he's in love with IHS. And it's a way for him as well to thank his friends. When he took over in 1994, it was 20 years after defending his PhD, and having made great contributions in differential geometry, he changed from a mathematician to a manager. The transformation was not obvious, and he succeeded beyond all expectations. He realized very quickly that to stabilize IHS, we needed, he needed, we all needed to secure private funding to modernize the way the institute was financed. At that time, in France, to a certain extent in Western Europe, it was a disruption, a new way of financing science. Why is that so important? It is important because it's the only way to ensure that our professors, our researchers in general, are free to do their job in fields with no constraints, no teaching, no administrative obligations. To be in an environment that favors their success and allows them to pursue this interested research and to just to make science move forward. This conviction of Jean-Pierre is from the very beginning shared by both Claire Lise and Philippe Tondeur and by Marilyn and Jim Simons. Good friends of Jean-Pierre, both couples, and those friends of Jean-Pierre supported him from the very beginning in his endeavor to secure for IHS this stability that we all enjoy today but was not given back in the late 90s. I've been a student of Jean-Pierre a long time ago, not a very good one, and I remember seeing him in 2000 on the sixth floor of the building where EADS, European Aerospace Defense and Space Company was headquartered. Just explaining to colleagues of mine and myself the project, we want to secure that this Institute des Hauts-et-Toutes scientifiques is stable so our professors can work freely without worrying about administrative contingent matters that would move them. They would deviate them from their goal and their research. EADS was one of the first large corporates to join and this means that I'm involved with this Institute des Hauts-et-Toutes scientifiques since 23, 24 years soon. Like Jean-Pierre, like all of us, Claire Lise and Philippe Tondeur, as I was saying, believe Marilyn and Jim as well, believe in the power of knowledge in fundamental science in mathematics. They are convinced that our model where bright minds are free, as I was saying earlier, from administrative constraints, from teaching, from wondering whether they will be financed tomorrow. This model, I was saying, favors creativity, favors collaboration, favors discovery. But this is also true for art and Jean-Pierre realized that immediately from the very beginning of his tenure here. It's thanks to him that Jean-François Darce and Anne Papillot, who are present, produced the magnificent work on IHES, led to the book called Les Deschiffres, The Unravelers. They captured through beautiful photos and texts different aspects. But what's more important, what's stronger than that, what's beyond that is this connection between fundamental science and art. You remember, you remember, we were wondering what kind of justification we could give to fundamental science. And the comparison with art came straight away. And this was seen from the very beginning. Let me say a few words more about Jean-Pierre. I mentioned this 2000 meeting we were having. Where Jean-Pierre is great is in connecting people, which is not a given again. I mean, it's not obvious that when you have been in a very high level mathematical career, it does not prepare you for connecting people. And you have been amazing Jean-Pierre in bringing together very different types of people, very different types of individuals, and gathering them around one same goal. At some stage, you had to leave us. And you took over a very prestigious position. You were the president of the European Research Council. And I can say now, because it's over, so we can turn you in. You were president of the European Research Council, but it was quite often that I see you in here. You never left, really. And your dedication to us is amazingly strong. Amazingly strong. I tried to ask you to teach me some mathematics. And I can confess today, 23 years later, that I'm not yet done with the Griffiths and Harris. I did not go through. I mean, it's impossible. One other feature I would like to highlight, and I will kind of wrap up there, is again, you were not prepared for that. And you showed amazing skills in building international ties. We owe you the development of relationships with key organizations in Asia, in India, in Japan, in China. Again, not obvious. I mean, I couldn't tell that differential geometry would lead there. You'll explain to me what is the connection, but I haven't found it yet. You have done so much in this relationship with Asia that you have been recognized not only in France, but you have also been recognized in the countries you built ties with. And I've been honored to attend a year and a half ago when the Japan Ambassador to France conferred to you the Order of the Rising Sun in recognition of all your contribution to the connection with Japan. Speaking in my capacity of Chairman of the Board of IHES, I'm very proud to inaugurate today this Jean-Pierre Bourguignon Chair. It's a superb recognition of your role, of your contribution, of your devotion to IHES and to science. And this is not nothing. Jean-Pierre, you've been my professor, I'm one of your students. You've been the director here and I'm very proud to be able to count myself among your friends. And this friendship is all around the place because your friendship with Claire Lisa and Philippe Tondeur, your friendship with Marilyn and Jim, your friendship with all of us here, describes best what we are doing today and the ceremony we are having. I will stop there because I could speak for a few hours. It's time for me to hand the mic to Claire Lisa and Philippe Tondeur so they can tell us about Jean-Pierre, the institute and what led them to the donation. So Claire Lisa, Philippe, the floor is yours.