What was the purpose of the Radium Institute founded by Marie Curie in Paris?

The Radium Institute (Institut du Radium) in Paris, which saw the completion of its laboratory buildings in 1914, was established to serve as a universal center for research in nuclear physics and chemistry.1

Beyond its role as a research facility, the institute was designed to accumulate intense radioactive sources. This served two primary purposes:
* Scientific Research: Providing an abundant supply of radioactive materials for experiments in nuclear physics and chemistry, which proved essential for significant discoveries in the field, including those related to artificial radioactivity.1
* Medical Application: Utilizing the biological action of radioactive rays for the treatment of illness, particularly cancer, through radiotherapy.12

Additionally, the institute functioned as a national technical laboratory, providing official certifications for the measurement and sale of radium. Marie Curie herself devoted much of her later research at the institute to studying the chemistry of radioactive substances and their medical applications.31