News 16 June 2017

#1 Why Nantes? Sectors of excellence

Regularly quoted in newspapers as being one of the most exciting city in France, Nantes is becoming recognized as a vibrant and innovative city.

The aeronautics industry spreads its wrings

Driving aircraft construction forward, Airbus proactivity benefits subcontractors, who are increasingly choosing to make Nantes their base. Other world-class players are following suit: Daher, Idéa Group, Spirit, as well as American company Hexcel, which has established one of its three French sites here to supply its customers with advanced composite structures. It has to be said that the environment for innovation and R&D is auspicious, supported as it is by such state-of-the-art infrastructures as the EMC2 competitiveness cluster, IRT Jules Verne, Neopolia and the Technocampus Smart Factory, which is dedicated to virtual reality.

 

Marine Renewable Energy (MRE): one step ahead

Even as it readies itself to accommodate a field of 80 offshore wind turbines from 2019, Nantes Saint-Nazaire is already looking beyond by developing industrials units and advanced R&D capacity, supported by large-scale facilities that are unique in France and Europe (Ecole Centrale and the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment). With its profile raised by the local presence of major industrial players, the MRE sector brings numerous innovative companies together: Innosea, Geps Techno, General Electrics, HydrOcean and Natural Power.

 

Shipbuilding has the wind in its sails

In Nantes Saint-Nazaire, every resource a shipbuilder might need in responding to the challenges of the future can be found on the doorstep. Already an established international leader, the industry’s order books – like those of STX France – is filled, proving that innovation capability makes all the difference. The Technocampus Ocean is an outstanding and highly-respected research facility in France, where industrial groups work hard in hand with businesses, “grandes écoles” and the university.

Health & biotechnology: our health tomorrow

Nantes is a benchmark in health and biotechnology research. Its deployment of networking has made it a leading centre for health both nationally and internationally – especially with regard to two specialisms: nuclear medicine and immunotherapy. Start-ups are constantly springing up in this sector – a sure sign of vitality. The inter-regional Atlanpole Biotherapies competitiveness cluster, comprising more than 80 businesses dedicated to health and life sciences (OSE Immunotherapeutics, Valneva, Atlanbio, Eurofins, etc.), brings together the work of 56 laboratories and 41 technological platforms.

Digital: the connected ecosystem

Digital grows faster in Nantes than it does elsewhere in France. The growth rate of enterprise and job creation (respectively up 66% and 32% over five years) is stronger than in other French cities.

It’s no coincidence that Nantes was one of the first cities to pick up the French Tech label. Here, the power of the digital-dedicated networks really does open doors: La Cantine Numérique, Atlantic 2.0, ADN Ouest, the Images & Réseaux competitiveness cluster, as well as the Startup Palace and Hub Creatic.

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