Upcoming event. Insight into digital simulation at the Ter@tec Forum on 15 and 16 June at the École Polytechnique

The Ter@tec Forum bringing together leading international experts in digital design and simulation is one of biggest events of its kind in France and Europe. It underpins the sector’s importance in developing a company’s competitiveness and innovation capabilities, as was clearly demonstrated by the 2009 event, which attracted more than 600 attendees. The 2010 Ter@tec Forum at the École Polytechnique will focus on the very fast development of HPC usage.

During the plenary sessions on Tuesday, 15 June, industry players will share their experiences of HPC technologies, which today extend to all economic, industrial and service sectors as a result of more powerful systems (1,000 times more powerful in a matter of years) and the performance of software tools in simulation and design as well as in the complete digital creation of objects and materials, media or services.
Workshops will be held throughout the day on 16 June to address major HPC topics and provide an opportunity for delegates to review the numerous collaborative projects linking industry and research.

For more information or to register for the Forum, click here

Paris Region mapped out for you :

Check out the economic stakeholders in Paris Region on Econovista, the free interactive economic map of Paris Region

Learn more about the competitiveness clusters Cap Digital and ASTech Paris Region on the free interactive economic map, Econovista

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Public transport. Comparing the attractiveness of London and Paris

The IAU Île-de-France (Paris Region Urban Planning and Development Agency) has undertaken a comparative study of Paris and London focusing on the attractiveness of their public transport systems, the transport offer and the regularity of services on their networks.

In terms of railway services, London’s network is denser than its Paris counterpart (316 stations in Greater London as compared with 234 stations in the Paris Region conurbation) and provides a more comprehensive coverage of its territory. By contrast the Paris Region stations enjoy a more frequent service than the London stations during peak periods.

The underground network supplements the system serving Greater London with a network that’s relatively sparse in the city centre but provides lines extending right to the outskirts of the city and even beyond in some cases. By contrast the Paris Métro network is very dense in the centre but lacks coverage of the city’s outskirts. Paris outperforms London in average service frequency by line and by direction of travel during peak periods (38 trains in Paris compared with 23 in London).
Overall the study shows that Paris Region offers a much more extensive network of subways, trams, RER,… than London while the position of the bus is higher in London.

© RATP

Discover all transport infrastructures of Paris Region on Econovista, the free economic map of Paris Region

Paris Region. An international place to invest

Around 20% of all jobs in Paris Region are generated by international groups. Paris Region’s 65,000 international managers represent around 100 different nationalities, primarily from OECD countries. This international workforce is highly qualified. In 2007-2008, Paris Region welcomed 73,000 international students, while foreign nationals account for 20% of students studying for Masters degrees and doctorates. Otherwise, 20,000 French students each year make the most of the Erasmus European exchange. On their return, they become part of a professional environment that’s cosmopolitan and multicultural in its outlook.

Paris Region’s highly-qualified workforce attracts entrepreneurs from all over the globe. France ranks No.2 in Europe for workforce qualification levels (Cushman & Wakefield, 2008). It offers a wide range of post baccalaureate courses covering the full range of disciplines within the European Bachelor/Master’s/doctorate framework, as well as specialist professional training programmes at all levels (school leavers through to PhD standard). Students at the universities and the Grandes Écoles are increasingly encouraged to gain work experience through apprenticeship schemes, while combined work/study programmes enable businesses to recruit graduates who already possess operational expertise. Contrary to popular belief, France’s workforce is the third most productive in the world. French workers produce US$35.08 per hour of work, just behind those in the USA (US $35.63/h) and Norway (US$37.99/h).

Photo : "Cité universitaire internationale", welcome of the foreign students and researchers to Paris. © Vincent Gollain

Find more information about Paris Region economic potential on Econovista.com, the free economic map of Paris Region

Paris Val-de-Marne. The future is a place

How to discover the South-Eastern Quadrant of the Greater Paris.



A video realised by the Economic agency of Val-de-Marne

Find more information about the attractivity of Paris-Region

Benchmarking. Paris, the second most attractive business city in Europe

London and Paris remain the most attractive business cities, according to the 20th edition of the European Cities Monitor, published by international commercial real estate brokers and consultants Cushman & Wakefield. Paris continues to be attractive, but the economic crisis has allowed London to retain its edge.In the eyes of international investors, Paris is in second place when judged on the four main location factors: market accessibility, qualified staff, quality of telecommunications and external transport links.

"Quality of life for employees" remains a major advantage for Paris, which is in 7th place, well ahead of London and Frankfurt, ranked 11th and 24th respectively.The survey revealed that Paris is considered by senior managers to be the top destination for potential expansion into Western Europe and is ranked 4th after Moscow and Bucharest if they are interested in all of Europe. Paris has edged closer to London in terms of easy access to markets and transport infrastructure quality.

Survey method: European Cities Monitor analyses the opinion of senior managers of the 500 largest European corporations regarding the attractiveness of the major European cities and factors relating to their choice of future business location. The study compares 34 major European cities and analyses 12 key factors in choice of location.

©Philippe Guignard

European Cities Monitor 2009

Find more information about Paris Region attractiveness on Econovista, the free economic map of Paris Region

Innovation. Paris Region supports innovation

Paris Region stakeholders have set up two organisations to help develop innovation in the region:
- The Paris Region Centre for Innovation (Centre Francilien de l'Innovation) was established at the end of 2008 by Paris Region, the French government and the French Agency for Innovation (OSEO Innovation). Its goal is to encourage, promote, develop and support technologically innovative projects from local SMEs, research laboratories and, in some cases, individuals.
- Paris Region Innovation Laboratory (Laboratoire Paris Région Innovation) was founded by the City of Paris and Paris Region as part of a policy to support innovative businesses. The goal of this association is to "help Paris Region businesses and laboratories gain access to public facilities to test their innovations under real-life conditions."
The Laboratory seeks to make the Paris region available for trying out innovative products and to promote the image of Paris as an innovative city. It will be organising events such as the City of Paris Innovation Awards (Grands Prix de l'Innovation).

Find more information on Econovista, the free economic map of Paris Region

Paris Region was the number one French region for foreign investment in 2008

With 208 new projects involving business start-ups, expansions or buyouts in 2008 (i.e. 14% more than in 2007), Paris Region has confirmed its attractiveness to international companies.
In terms of jobs created, with the current crisis prompting investors to be cautious, average foreign investment projects in Paris Region were on a smaller scale compared with 2007. The number of jobs created or maintained fell by 20%, from almost 10,400 in 2007 to 8,300 in 2008.

Of the 208 projects listed in Paris Region, 154 are foreign business start-ups (the remainder are expansions or buyouts), showing that the Region is still a magnet for foreign companies. The number of jobs created by international start-ups has been steadily increasing for the last 6 years.

The geographic origin of investment. Paris Region is well suited to companies from distant or emerging countries:
The same three countries as the previous year – USA, UK and Germany – lead the field in terms of foreign investors generating employment in Paris Region.
Companies' activity sector and function: the mark of a major international city:
Generally speaking, the new projects in Paris Region fall mainly into the category of services - particularly financial –, consultancy and IT

The attractiveness of Paris Region is also confirmed in the study carried out by Paris-Ile de France Capitale Économique and Ernst & Young on “International relocations in the main European cities in 2008”.
The key findings are as follows:
- Paris Region saw a 6% increase in the number of international businesses locating there, while the 15 cities included in the study taken together saw an average drop of 5% (as low as 14% in the case of London and 16% for Madrid).
- For the second year running, Paris Region is the leading European region in the number of jobs created and is widening the gap with London.
- The number of business locations recorded in 2008 shows that the UK capital is the Europe’s leading region. The gap with Paris Region, in second position with 222 projects, is narrowing.


Find out about Paris Region with Econovista.com, the interactive economic map

Credits Photos: La Défense © ARD / Michel Derouault

Essonne – one of Paris Region's most dynamic departments

In September the Essonne Chamber of Commerce and Industry issued a new report on the state of the department's economy, examining the department's achievements in terms of value creation from four angles:

- Entrepreneurial dynamic: the new business start-up rate in Essonne is higher than in 2006. More than 5,000 jobs were created in 2007, a 12.5% increase compared with 2006.

- Business competitiveness: Essonne has one of the lowest business tax rates.

- Attractiveness and cohesion: the Essonne companies surveyed rated the living environment at the top of the list. Then came the benefits of being part of Paris Region: the communications infrastructure, proximity and size of the market, training and higher education. The drawbacks quoted were the lack of international awareness, taxation and real estate costs. Orly airport is considered to be a major advantage to businesses.

- Human resources: a region's wealth also comes from its human resources. The department has seen a significant increase in recruitment and businesses’ recruitment plans are more extensive than the regional average.

Photos credits : Atis - Semiconductor

To find out more: Detailed report of the economic situation in Essonne 2008

Find Essonne on Econovista, the interactive economic map of Paris Region.