Meeting ‘Cluster Cooperation across Europe’, July 13, 2011.

The meeting ‘Cluster Cooperation across Europe’ will take place on July 13th in the Genopole premises in Evry (south of Paris). This meeting is one of the Dissemination events of the EU project Bio-Common Tools-Bio-CT (Regions of Knowledge).

This meeting, hosted by the BioCT consortium and Genopole, its Coordinator, brings together key clusters in Europe to discuss and agree on how formal partnerships can be created around key biotechnology support topics ; Sharing Facilities, Technology Maturation and Developing talent.

VENUE :

Genopole GIP

5 rue Henri Desbrueres

Genopole Campus 1

91000 Evry

France

+33 (0)1 60 87 83 00

The agenda for the day includes :

Keynote presentation : The future for cluster partnerships in Europe - the need and the pathways

Plenary discussion panel : Finding maximum points of benefit for cluster partnerships

Plenary round table 1 : Sharing facilities - Presentations and discussion

Plenary round table 2 : Maturing technologies - Presentations and discussion

Plenary round table 3 : Engaging talent- Presentations and discussion

Full meeting details are available online here.

Business tours. A tour for the delegation from Campinas, the “Brazilian Silicon Valley”

Following a request from the Commercial Section of the Embassy of Brazil (SECOM), the Invest in France Agency (IFA), Paris Développement and PREDA hosted a delegation of Brazilian companies on April 11th, 12th and 13th, 2011 and organised a tour of places symbolising research and innovation in the Paris Region.

Delegation in front INRA research centre in Versailles-Grignon

The tour was intended for a Brazilian delegation from the Campinas region in the State of Sao Paulo, led by José Luis Guazzelli, Honorary Consul of France in Campinas and Director of Techno Park Campinas. The delegation comprised over twenty participants, including officials from the Town Halls of Campinas, Vinhedo and Jaguariuna, and representatives from the University of Campinas and the Institute of Technology of Araraquara, the CPqD Cluster and the CIATEC technology incubator, as well as business leaders from the fields of ICT, telecoms, biotechnology, health, cosmetology and energy.

The tour included a visit of symbolic places in the Paris Region (the Biocitech Science Park, the INRA Research Centre in Versailles-Grignon), presentations of Paris Region and Brazilian clusters, and it concluded with the signing of an agreement at Paris City Hall.

Read full article on PREDA website.

Paris Region mapped out for you :

Find the Biocitech Science Park and the INRA Research Centre on Econovista.com, the interactive economic map of Paris Region :

• Biocitech Science Park on the map "Discover Paris Region/ Science and technology parks"
• INRA Research Centre on the map "Spot talents/ Public research center"

Event. 16th International Conference on 3D Web Technology, June 20-22, 2011, Paris.

The annual Web3D ACM Conference is a major event which unites researchers, developers, entrepreneurs, experimenters, artists and content creators in a dynamic learning environment. Attendees share and explore methods of using, enhancing and creating new 3D Web and Multimedia technologies such as WebGL, X3D, VRML, Collada, MPEG family. U3D, Java3D and other technologies. The conference also focuses on recent trends in interactive 3D graphics, information integration and usability in the wide range of Web3D applications from mobile devices to high-end immersive environments.

More information and registration on : http://web3d2011.org/

Paris Region mapped out for you :

Discover the key players of competitiveness clusters in Paris Region using specific maps on Econovista.com : 

• Cap Digital - Digital content
• Innovative Systematic - Systems and ICT cluster

Event. "Automotive Power Electronics" Conference and Exhibition, April 6 & 7, 2011

April 6 & 7, 2011. Paris, France.

SIA is launching the 4th edition of APE “Automotive Power Electronics” Conference and Exhibition.

Automotive world is facing an amazing revolution coming through power electronics, to bring a new generation of affordable green cars. APE conference is involving both communities of automotive power R&D and industry power R&D (as well as leading labs involved !) to get the best on this strategically increasing domain.
It focuses on “in-car” systems & components, dealing with all aspects of related power electronics and electrification of vehicles targeting very low CO2 emissions.

A wide range is concerned:

• Applications for passenger vehicles, buses, and light duty vehicles,
• Innovative technical / technological solutions and new dedicated development tools solutions,
• Power levels: from 100 W up to 100 KW,
• Applications for Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles (ICEV), hybrid vehicles (HV & PHEV), and electrical vehicles (EV),
• Ambitious mitigation of automotive stresses: Electrical, Thermal, Chemical, Mechanical, EMC and most effective combinations of them, bringing always more reliable products.
  

APE will offer you in one location: high level scientific and technical conferences, a unique platform for top-level engineers/researchers exchanges, and an exhibition covering a wide range of products and services in the field of automotive power electronics.

Download full program.
More information.

Paris Region mapped out for you :
Map innovating companies and research centers in Paris Region using the thematic map "Innovate" on Econovista.com, the free interactive economic map of Paris Region.

Event. IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence 2011

April 11-15, 2011 - Paris, France

This international event promotes all aspects of the theory and applications of Computational Intelligence. With its hosting of over thirty technical meetings in one location, it is bound to attract lead researchers, professionals and students from around the world. The venue for this 2011 edition is located in Paris, France.

Read more about the event.
See the full program.
Learn more about IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers).

Did you know?
The range and high level of ICT activities in Paris Region have led to the creation of two complementary world-class competitiveness clusters: System@tic for complex systems and software and Cap Digital for digital technologies and applications.

Read more about Paris Region's excellence in ICT.

Paris Region mapped out for you:
discover the players of computational intelligence in Paris Region through thematic maps on Econovista.com, the Paris Region free interactive economic map :

• "Cap Digital - Digital content" developed in partnership with the competitiveness cluster Cap Digital
  
• "Innovativ Systematic" developed in partnership with the competitiveness cluster Systematic Paris Region

Upcoming event. Innovation Cloud Summit, Paris March 17-18.

Are you looking for partners and customers to develop your business in Europe? Do you need help to support, localize or to specialize your solution for the European market? Come and present your technology.

The goal of the Cloud Computing Summit is to gather technology vendors and potential partners/customers looking for cloud computing solutions.

Many French CIOs are considering cloud computing technologies. They are looking for guidance, technologies and innovative solutions. The Innovation Cloud Summit will gather cloud technology providers, local system integrators and potential customers. Top high level executives from Cap Gemini, Atos Origin, Bull and Altran have already confirmed their participation.

More info.
Register.

Paris Region mapped out for you:

Map the Paris Region players in the field of Digital content using the "Cap Digital" map on Econovista.com, the free interactive economic map of Paris Region.

Meeting. Innov'eco turns the spotlight on bioenergy and biomaterials

PREDA, the Paris Region Economic Development Agency, invites you to the next session of INNOV’ECO, dedicated to bioenergy and biomaterials, which takes place at the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine from 8.30 am to 1 pm on 17 June 2010.

How and to what extent can biomass – plant-derived materials – be used to replace fossil energy for transport, insulation, construction, chemicals and even the production of heat and electricity?
At a time when we are rediscovering wood and its derivatives for use as fuel and materials, how are the relevant sectors and professions responding?
What are the consequences in terms of regional planning and how can industry be transformed to create a circular, regional economy?
Do green biotechnology and biochemicals offer an alternative to petrochemicals as we move towards a low-carbon economy?

Source: www.paris-region.com
To register for the event (French only)

Paris Region mapped out for you:

Discover the Eco-Business map presenting players operating in this sector on Econovista, the economic map of Paris Region

Looking to invest in Paris Region? Assess potential locations with Econovista, the interactive economic map of Paris Region

Information and Communication Technologies. Digiteo, a leading world-class research park

Digiteo, Paris Region’s research park in the field of information and communication science and technology (ICT), will concentrate the expertise of 1,800 researchers in the Plateau de Saclay campus with effect from this year. The park is focused on excellence, setting itself the goal of becoming the leading international ICT research park. Its fields of excellence are the design and development of software-intensive systems, from system-on-a-chip to supercomputing and major software infrastructures, including embedded systems and robotics.

In terms of the research institutions involved, founding members CEA (the French Atomic Energy Commission), CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research), École Polytechnique (France’s premier engineering school), Supelec (engineering school specialising in energy and information science), INRIA (National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control) and Université Paris Sud 11 were joined by ENS Cachan, Université de Versailles St-Quentin and École Centrale Paris in 2008. “Institut Telecom should also be included as it will be moving a large part of its research to the plateau in five years’ time, as part of the Campus plan,” explains Digiteo’s Director Maurice Robin, “as well as Mines Paris Tech and ENSTA-ParisTech which are also planning to locate here. Digiteo’s priority is to facilitate the pooling of expertise as well as providing support and additional resources to finance the implementation of specific research projects.”

Building a bridge between fundamental research and industry, and accelerating technology transfer, are core concerns. “Each Digiteo member has its own technology transfer operation and so Digiteo adds value by focusing on activities relating to joint projects involving at least two research laboratories, in order to build synergies and generate projects while creating quantifiable economic value,” notes Digiteo’s Director.

New facilities which will accommodate around 1,000 additional researchers are currently under construction in order to enable Digiteo to continue its expansion and to fulfil its immense potential as a key research hub. Planning permissions have been granted for three Saclay projects: at the CEA site, on Plateau du Moulon and at Palaiseau. These projects are being financed partly by Paris Region, by the Essonne Conseil Général (district council) and the Communauté de Communes du Plateau de Saclay (community of Plateau de Saclay town councils), as well as by the research park’s founding institutions.

Source: RÉUSSIR No.120, January/February 2010

To find out more

Mapping the Paris Region economy :

Find Digiteo's profile and the ICT players in Plateau de Saclay on Econovista, the free interactive economic map of Paris Region

Cluster. Cap Digital, 500 innovative companies and associations for a common future

Cap Digital, dedicated to development of services, content, and knowledge technologies, leads 6 principal lines of action to serve this community:

1. Development of R&D and innovation
2. Development of shared platforms
3. Implementation of services for businesses development
4. Anticipative management of skills and adapted training
5. Benchmarking and prospection through the Think Digital program
6. Promotion of businesses’ international visibility and competitiveness

Cap Digital, a label of excellence for innovative projects
The « Cap Digital project » label is awarded after a rigorous review process controlled by the association’s executive committee and board of directors. Our label of excellence vouches for the project’s quality and ensures its coherence with the cluster’s strategy. Cap Digital helps businesses and research laboratories build collaborative projects. For example, the cluster promotes the development of shared infrastructures between businesses, small and large, and research labs. An information database for Parisian research labs and member companies enables the cluster to network key actors together, namely for project-building. Finally, to further benefit its members, the cluster is engaged in a European clusters policy. By establishing privileged relationships with world clusters, it works towards its goal of developing businesses’ international activities in these areas.

Services you find in Cap Digital
- Privileged contacts with the major industrial players and institutional structures backing Cap Digital
- Strong ties with Parisian business incubators
- Your company itself or the cluster’s promotion of it at the major trade shows in France and abroad
- Prospecting trips with preferential rates and strategic meetings
- Privileged access to special export subventions
- Access to country-specific workshops on export
- Access to a repertoire of privileged contacts for private and public funding
- Agreements with banking establishments to facilitate the opening of accounts
- Workshops and special training on financing
- Individualized support for the Crédit d’Impôt Recherche (CIR), the national research funding plan

Think Digital, a Plateform to share experiences
The purpose of Think Digital Plateform is to create and share useful information and analytical reports the Cap Digital community. Benchmarking activities are communicated via the Think Digital pages. They cover all of the cluster’s thematic domains as well as legal, scientific, and economic updates. Think Digital communicates articles and analyses produced by the cluster. Meetings with the public, the press, and the Cap Digital community are regularly organized for the members of the thematic sessions or to decrypt Think Digital’s benchmarking activities and specific topics. Think Digital develops think tank activities by holding working groups on targeted themes, for 6 months at a time, which are geared at producing documents of reference.

Source : www.capdigital.com

Discover all members of Cap Digital competitiveness cluster on Econovista.com, the free economic map of Paris Region

Innovation. A new mechatronics center in Argenteuil-Bezons district

The Communauté d’agglomération d’Argenteuil-Bezons is giving its support to the creation of a mechatronics center in its administrative area.
Covering 4,900 companies (26.5 % in aerospace, 11 % in metals and 9 % in mechanical engineering), including international groups such as Dassault Aviation, Hispano Suiza, Sagem and Amco, this center of mechatronics expertise will be created in cooperation with a number of competitiveness clusters, including ASTech and System@tic Paris-Region.

The three flagship initiatives of the project are the establishment of a technology-based business start-up and growth center to help the area’s existing SMEs to diversify their businesses or start new ones, the creation of a mechatronics Apprentice Training Center (Centre de Formation d’Apprentis - CFA) and the launch of a technology showcase that will host events and conferences built around issues selected to promote the products and companies of the area and attract new business.

Find all potentialities of Astech Paris Region, and soon SystemaTIC on Econovista, the free economic map of Paris Region

IT Talent. Paris Region, the Silicon Valley of Open Source

Consistent with its essential character of openness and innovation, the Paris Region has established itself as the Silicon Valley of Open Source in just a few years. Packed with IT talent, the region is home to 18,000 specialist information technology companies. Every year, the region invests over €200 million in supporting these future global stars.

As part of structuring projects, encouraging open innovation and supporting the growth of young start-ups, the Paris Region has developed the System@tic Paris-Region competitiveness cluster. Between 2007 and 2009, this working group supported 14 projects representing R&D investment of €29 million. 80 partners - including 40 innovative SMEs - have now joined the group from all over Europe. The most recent arrival is the German company Jedox AG, supplier of Open Source-based Business Intelligence and corporate performance management solutions, which has received support from the Paris Region Economic Development Agency (PREDA) in the form of assistance with finding premises, communication and integrating with the regional ecosystem. As part of encouraging this sparkling source of added value creation, the region also supports and contributes to important structural projects, such as Open Source Village, which help foreign companies establish a presence at the very heart of the Paris Region in Paris itself.

“The software developers of the Paris Region are therefore immune from the global crisis. In fact, they are stimulating the local economy”, observes Stefane Fermigier, Chairman of the System@tic Paris-Region Free & Open Source Software working group. “Some companies are relocating to the Paris Region precisely to draw on the pool of talent we have”, adds Jean Noël de Galzain, Vice-Chairman for SMEs at System@tic Paris-Region. With all the necessary strengths directly to hand, the Paris Region is already striking out for the future by combining Open Source software with sustainable development. With support from System@tic Paris-Region, the Deskolo project run by Wallix in partnership with Mandriva and CEA List aims to provide effective supervision and optimization of IT hardware energy consumption. The outcome will be savings for companies and a boost for the environment.

© Digiteo, one of the main research clusters in IT

Soon, the cartography of Sytem@TIC Paris Region, on Econovista, the free economic map of Paris Region.
Discover now two other clusters, Cap Digital and ASTech Paris Region

Real Estate. More accommodation for young innovative companies in Paris

In the sector of the 20th district, in Paris, flats rub shoulders with old town houses as well as numerous workshops, lanes and passages which preserve the memory of the twin past of Belleville, both rural and working class.

The PARIS INNOVATION programme intends to make Paris the international capital of innovation by offering young innovating companies accommodation adapted to their specific needs. Thanks to the financial assistance of the City, these “intelligent” buildings combining production areas and offices are being offered at particularly advantageous prices.

By 2014, the City of Paris will count 55 000 sq.m buildings for young innovating companies (incubators, nurseries and innovation centres), increasing surface area to 100 000 sq.m specifically dedicated to them.

Shared services:
Surveyed access and intercom ; Reception on the ground floor ; Access for disabled people ; 4 self-service meeting rooms ; Coffee corner on the 5th floor ; Delivery zone on the ground floor.
Contact:
François Moreau (mail : francois.moreau@paris.fr)

© Pépinière d'entreprises Paris Soleillet

Thinking of investing in Paris Region ? Evaluate your choice of location free of charge at www.econovista.com, the economic map of Paris Region

Competitiveness clusters. Boosting growth and delivering synergistic benefits in Paris Region

Instigated in 2005, “competitiveness clusters” are groupings of companies, research laboratories and education/training institutions formed with a view to developing collaborative, innovative R&D projects and delivering competitive advantages for the resulting products and services.

Both national and local public authorities are involved in the clusters, offering members the benefits of their respective resources for supporting economic activity. The clusters now offer a highly effective business network to the technology companies joining them. These clusters are playing a key role in driving growth within most of the region’s sectors of excellence.
Businesses belonging to the clusters benefit from various advantages:

- Multiple opportunities to share expertise with other members through cluster-generated initiatives (clubs, think tanks, seminars, business meetings, etc.) or initiatives by partners such as trade associations, Chambers of Commerce and Industry and economic development agencies. Professionals can also forge contacts at the major events for trade audiences and the general public in order to test pioneering products and services (such as the Futur en Seine
digital festival, for example)

- Opportunities to step up exports. The proportion of SMEs exporting their products and services is significantly higher than average within the clusters – from 20% to more than 50%

- Special access to training organisations and to the most innovative research laboratories within their sector

- Streamlined access to the public finance for joint research projects. In 2008, the state made €138 million available for R&D projects in the competitiveness clusters. The clusters also organise special opportunities to access private finance from venture capitalists and business angels.

Find more information about clusters in Paris-Region on Econovista, the free interactive economic map of Paris-Region (Ile de France):

-Cap Digital – Digital content

-ASTech Paris Region – Aeronautics Space & Defense

And soon System@TIC Paris Region

Past, present, future: proactive urban planning in Paris Region

For several centuries Paris Region has been planned according to principles we would now recognise as those of sustainable development: this dense, multi-functional urban complex constitutes an autonomous, integrated living environment that is envied all over the world.

Baron Haussmann’s 19th-century projects have left a strong imprint on the city, while in the first half of the 20th century the metropolis grew further, expanding into the surrounding suburban areas.

Various regeneration schemes followed: on the Seine riverside, in the central district of Les Halles, and in the Rive Gauche district – with the regeneration of Batignolles soon to follow. These new districts have become vibrant urban centres at the heart of the metropolis, incorporating residential accommodation, businesses, parks and public amenities. The city has continued to expand around its periphery with the creation of five new towns since 1950, which have developed into major urban hubs (Evry, Cergy, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Sénart and Marne-la-Vallée).

The people of Paris Region see the environment as a vital issue for their future. Eco-friendly practices and green initiatives are becoming increasingly widespread. As a result, businesses connected with this sector are experiencing dynamic growth. This sector accounted for sales of €17 billion in Paris Region in 2007, i.e. 47% of the French total and 2.4% of the European total. The main global leaders in these fields – groups such as Veolia, Suez Environnement, etc. – work in collaboration with a network of highly innovative SMEs.

© SEM Plaine Commune Développement


Find more information about Eco-business in Paris-Region

Sustainable real estate. A sharp increase

Since 2005, 280 buildings in France have received the HEQ label, representing 4.5 million m². Of these certifications, 225 were awarded to offices, six to distribution warehouses and three to retail establishments. Today more than 420 buildings are in the process of receiving certification, and 44% of office space delivered in 2008 in Paris Region met the HEQ policy standard for commercial buildings. Paris Region is home to more than half of the buildings certified, with 58 in Hauts-de-Seine (1.7 million m²), 39 in Paris (584,252 m²) and 33 in Seine-Saint-Denis (612,397 m²).
According to the white paper on sustainable real estate produced by DTZ, the number of HEQ-certified commercial buildings in Paris Region with a surface area over 5,000 m² increased six-fold over a period of four years. In 2008, 59 certifications were granted, covering almost 1.3 million m². Production of HEQ-certified space should increase rapidly over the next few years: almost 700,000 m² could be produced in 2009, and 900,000 m² is already planned for 2010. Today, all commercial construction in Paris Region is involved in HEQ certification.
An HEQ operating standard is in the process of being validated. It will be based on four criteria: management, the building’s intrinsic quality, operational quality and environmental quality of company practices. This last element could have an incentive effect on a company's general practices; for example, companies would be encouraged to study alternative means of employee travel.

©atelier Thierry Roche et associés, The "Descartes +", a future example of sustainable real estate in Marne-la-Vallée

Discover information about on Econovista, the interactive map of Paris Region’s economy

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 Innovation tour 2008

Discover the interactive economic map of Paris Region

The 4th edition of the Paris Region Innovation tour take place in Paris (hotel Marriott Rive Gauche) on 17-18 November 2008. Paris Region Innovation tour is an international "rendez-vous" for the 800 European Clusters and their members, an exceptional meeting opportunity for european innovation clusters players, business and partnership opportunities, a catalyst for innovation potential in Europe, an for this fourth annual event, six Paris Region clusters are joining forces for the first time to present their R&D projects and technological visions.For this fourth annual event, seven Paris region clusters (Systematic, Mov’eo, Cap Digital, Advancity, Astech, Finnance Innovation and Medicen) are joining forces for the first time to present their projects around workshop.

This event is organized by Paris Development in partnership with the Paris Region Economic Development Agency, the Regional council of Paris Region, the Council of the Seine-Saint-Denis department, the Val-de-Marne Development Agency, the COMEX 93, and the council of the Seine-et-Marne department.

More informations on www.prit2008.eu