The Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier (Montpellier CHU) and the EIB announced the signature of a EUR 55m finance contract for the construction of Montpellier CHU's future High Environmental Quality (HQE) biology building. The announcement was made at a ceremony attended by Montpellier CHU Director-General Thomas Le Ludec and EIB Head of Infrastructure and Public Sector Financing Tanguy Desrousseaux.

On 23 October 2017, the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Montpellier (Montpellier CHU) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced the signature of a EUR 55m finance contract for the construction of Montpellier CHU's future High Environmental Quality (HQE) biology building. The announcement was made at a ceremony attended by Montpellier CHU Director-General Thomas Le Ludec and EIB Head of Infrastructure and Public Sector Financing Tanguy Desrousseaux.

Bringing biology activities together into a new building is the first stage of Montpellier CHU's Architectural Master Plan, the long-term goal of which is to group all healthcare activities together on a single site. The EU financing was granted on very attractive financial terms thanks to the EIB's AAA credit rating. In concrete terms, it will enable the Occitanie region's second-largest healthcare provider to finance this initial operation to modernise and restructure the healthcare services it offers on Montpellier CHU's main site.

A major project: the single biology building and helipad

As part of its 2012-2017 strategic plan, Montpellier CHU put together an Architectural Master Plan with the long-term aim of modernising all of its infrastructure while focusing on bringing its healthcare activities together onto a single site.

The first stage of this project consists in constructing a single biology building, making it possible to bring together 19 biology, anatomical pathology and genetics laboratories that are currently spread across a number of the institution's buildings. This phase will also enable the CHU to prepare its main Lapeyronie site for other upcoming modernisation programmes. This preparation work includes building new parking areas and a modernised helipad, as well as securing the site's electricity supply by building a new backup power generator. Costs for this initial work phase currently stand at almost EUR 112m.

An EIB-financed project

Montpellier CHU sought the EIB's support to finance its operations to modernise and restructure the healthcare services it provides. The Bank met CHU's request by granting it a EUR 55m loan on attractive financial terms.

This financing falls under the EIB's priority action to promote sustainable infrastructure with a direct impact on residents’ daily lives. As the leading European financier of infrastructure in France, the EIB has since January 2016 provided EUR 7.8bn to support the development of modern, sustainable infrastructure in the fields of urban transport, superfast broadband, education (lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools and universities), and hospitals. More than 50% of projects financed by the EIB in France concern infrastructure financing, which is above the average level in Europe.

Healthcare is also a priority area for the EU bank, with almost EUR 5bn in investments made in this domain in France since 2000.