A research facility dedicated to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases was inaugurated by Institut Pasteur du Cambodge in Phnom Penh yesterday.

The new building will operate as a training centre for national and international researchers, continuing the more than 60 years of research conducted by the institute, according to the French embassy, a financial backer of the facility.

“It will also provide opportunities for a large curriculum of training for students with Bachelor, Master and PhD degrees in cooperation with national, regional and international universities,” a statement said.

France provided close to $800,000 to finance the new facilities, the first secretary for the embassy, Nicolas Baudouin, wrote in an email.

The centre’s inauguration precedes a two-day forum on communicable infectious diseases, chaired by the Minister of Health Mam Bun Heng, that boasts internationally acclaimed experts.