AXA — Environmental & Social Information 2013

Jun 21, 2013

AXA PRESS RELEASE

PARIS, 21 JUNE 2013

AXA further strengthens its support to international science through an additional contribution of €100 million to the AXA Research Fund

AXA pursues its commitment towards independent academic research by adding €100 million to the AXA Research Fund budget for the period 2013 to 2018. This amount tops the initial €100 million granted to the AXA Research Fund at its inception in 2007, which have since then benefited 367 projects led by researchers from 49 nationalities working in more than 150 universities in 27 countries throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas.

This will allow the AXA Research Fund to continue its mission which is to support top-tier researchers in areas associated with environmental, socioeconomic and life risks, and to promote the dissemination of their discoveries in the public debate.

The AXA Research Fund will in particular increase its efforts to help scientists go one step further in sharing their knowledge with a broader audience in order to actively nurture public debate on risks threatening our societies. In this perspective, the AXA Research Fund has started new funding initiatives dedicated to innovative researchers with high potential to enter public debate, enhance risk awareness and develop participative scientific methods to better understand global challenges. It will also continue to regularly organize popularization workshops and academic events, as well as publish its Books of Knowledge, which provide a readily accessible and concrete introduction to the work of the supported researchers.

This scientific philanthropy initiative is a major component of AXA's corporate responsibility strategy, which aims to better protect people against risks.

Commenting on this announcement, Henri de Castries, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of AXA said: "We firmly believe that improving knowledge and understanding of the risk landscape is key to the development of societies. This genuine conviction is the starting point of our strong commitment to providing academic researchers with the means and the freedom they need. I am convinced that scientists are today's explorers. Supporting them is not only our core responsibility but also a great honor as well as a unique chance to enrich common knowledge and contribute to better protecting people by helping them face the consequences of climate disasters, increase in life expectancy, sociopolitical events and many more…"

Professor Thomas Kirkwood, President of the AXA Research Fund Scientific Board further commented: "The AXA Research Fund has managed to build a very distinctive reputation for the supported works, through a process based on the highest quality peer reviews contributing to the selection of outstanding institutions and top-tier researchers. As new Scientific Board President, I am fully committed to maintaining and developing the reputation for excellence that the AXA Research Fund has established. I am particularly happy about the new commitment to reinforcing support to the dissemination of scientific discoveries, as I am convinced of the tremendous benefits that will come with a stronger engagement of the researchers into the public debate."

The AXA Research Fund grants are all awarded following a robust selection process based on academic standards and overseen by a Scientific Board composed of renowned senior academics and several AXA Group representatives. This Scientific Board is supported by an operational team managed by Godefroy Beauvallet, Head of the AXA Research Fund.

ABOUT THE AXA RESEARCH FUND

The AXA Research Fund is the scientific philanthropy initiative of AXA. It aims to further understanding and management of today's and tomorrow's risks. Since its founding in 2007, the Fund has committed a total of EUR 100 million to more than 360 promising research projects at leading academic institutions in 27 countries around the world. The Fund undertakes long-term partnerships, focusing on research to contribute to the public debate and help manage or prevent risks to the environment, human life and societies.

For more information: www.axa-research.org Twitter: @AXAResearchFund - #axarf

ABOUT THE AXA GROUP COMMUNITY INVESTMENT

As a responsible corporate citizen, AXA strives to play a positive role in society, by building a culture that promotes employee volunteering and by helping to build better understanding of the risks faced by individuals and society at large. This commitment includes three key initiatives:

• Volunteer work, carried out through the AXA Hearts in Action international solidarity organization for 21 years. In 2012, over 28,500 employees volunteered in charity projects around the world.
• The AXA Research Fund, which supports science contributing to understanding and preventing environmental, life, and socio-economic risks.
• A partnership with the humanitarian NGO CARE, to help vulnerable populations better face climate and health risks.

For more information: www.axa.com/en/responsibility/strategy-commitments

ABOUT THE AXA GROUP

The AXA Group is a worldwide leader in insurance and asset management, with close to 160,000 employees serving 102 million clients in 57 countries. In 2012, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 90.1 billion and IFRS underlying earnings to Euro 4.3 billion. AXA had Euro 1,116 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2012.

The AXA ordinary share is listed on compartment A of Euronext Paris under the ticker symbol CS (ISN FR 0000120628 – Bloomberg: CS FP – Reuters: AXAF.PA). AXA's American Depository Share is also quoted on the OTC QX platform under the ticker symbol AXAHY.

The AXA Group is included in the main international SRI indexes, such as Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and FTSE4GOOD.

It is a founding member of the UN Environment Programme's Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles for Sustainable Insurance and a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment.

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS AVAILABLE ON THE AXA GROUP WEBSITE www.axa.com

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