French/European academic compound library initiative.

Since the year 2000, French academic medicinal chemists took the initiative to collect molecules and natural extracts produced in their labs over the past years to catalyse scientific partnerships with biologists through virtual and experimental screening. This formatted collection was named ‘Chimiothèque Nationale’ (National Compound Library). After eight years of existence, the outcome in terms of development of collaborations at the chemistry–biology interface, as well as in terms of scientific and therapeutic innovation, has been very significant and demonstrates the relevance of this low-cost and modest ‘bottom-up’ initiative.