Air Liquide : The 2018 Air Liquide Foundation Awards recognize scientific research and the commitment of Group employees

The Air Liquide Foundation Awards honor the most innovative organizations among those supported by the Foundation. For this second edition, two scientific organizations were singled out in the Research category for their projects promoting the Environment and Health. New this year, the 2018 Awards for Societal Commitment honor the engagement of Group employees working alongside associations on citizenship projects supported by the Foundation. In all, six employees and six organizations received awards. The Group's employees also awarded a special 'Coup de Coeur' prize to a project supported by Air Liquide employees, presented by Benoît Potier, the Chairman and CEO of Air Liquide, during a special ceremony held in Paris on February 5, 2018.

Since it was founded in 2008, the Air Liquide Foundation has been supporting research in the areas of the Environment and Health, as well as contributing to local development in countries where the Group does business. Since its inception, the Foundation has supported 284 projects in 50 countries thanks to the involvement of 345 employee sponsors who recommend and support these projects.

The 2018 Awards for Research, which were handed out in the Health category by Diana Schillag, European Healthcare Operations Vice President at Air Liquide, and in the Environment category by François Darchis, Innovation and Development Vice President at Air Liquide, supervising the Sustainable Development program, honored:

• The Université Paris Descartes in collaboration with Institut Cochin for their research into the lung damage associated with a rare disease, systemic scleroderma¹,
• The Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) of Paris for its research on the capacity of the Vietnam mangrove to capture CO₂.

In addition to the grant already made by the Foundation for these projects, the winning organizations will each receive a prize of 10 000 euros.

For this second edition, the 2018 Awards for Societal Engagement, handed out by Bénédicte Faivre-Tavignot, Professor of Strategy and Social Innovation at HEC-Paris, singled out six projects that were sponsored by Group employees and supported by the Foundation between 2014 and 2016 around the world:

• A project promoting access to healthcare for Chinese migrant children in Shanghai (the Shanghai Roots & Shoots Association)
• Support for the training center for dogs that offer support and guidance for disabled people in Brittany, France (the Handi'Chiens Bretagne Association)
• A project to renovate a maternity ward in the Sine Saloum Delta in Senegal (Voiles Sans Frontières Association)
• Projects to build a middle school in Zinado and a weaving training center in Ouagadougou, in Burkina Faso (Zinado 2000 et Afrika Tiss)
• A career training center for young adults in Delhi, India (Life Project 4 Youth Association).

New this year, Group employees gave out an 'Employees Favorite' award to two fellow employees to honor their commitment to the project to renovating a maternity hospital in Senegal Sine Saloum delta.

¹A rare disease whose cause is unknown and that leads to a progressive fibrosis of the skin and multiple internal organs, including the lungs. This damage to the lungs is currently the main cause of mortality linked to systemic scleroderma.

Air Liquide Foundation

With a budget of 3 million euros over five years, the Air Liquide Foundation develops philanthropic initiatives in three areas: scientific research for the preservation of the environment, scientific research aimed at improving respiratory function, and support for micro-initiatives encouraging local development in countries where the Group is present.