The IRCAD goes International
In November 2005, the IRCAD opened a training center dedicated to minimally invasive surgery in Hong Kong. This represents the first step of IRCAD`s establishment in Asia, thanks to a partnership with the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Jointly, the IRCAD and the Show Chwan Memorial Hospital are creating a new institute named ASIA-IRCAD Taiwan (Asian Institute of TeleSurgery). It is set to be the mirror image of IRCAD in Asia, and will promote research and training from Taiwan to the Asian continent.

The laying of the first brick of the institute and the official signature both took place in the summer of 2006.

The IRCAD in Strasbourg will remain in charge of the Taiwanese institute`s running. Any problems relating to communication due to the distance have been removed thanks to new technologies, an aspect particularly developed at the IRCAD.

The ASIA-IRCAD Taiwan`s opening ceremony will take place on the 26th May 2008. This is only the first step in the development of the IRCAD in the world since the overall projects plans to build two other identical institutes: one will see its headquarters in Buenos Aires in 2009, and the other one will be built in Dubai in 2009.

Through this project, the IRCAD is promoting high quality training to surgeons in the world and acts as an ambassador of French and European minimally invasive surgery.