Exceptionally dynamic industry
The Marseille-Provence Technopole in Château-Gombert, a site dedicated to technological innovation
The first French site dedicated to the mechanics of energy features a number of competencies in optics-photonics, astronomy, microelectronics, mathematics, and more. Founded in 1989, the Marseille-Provence Technopole in Château-Gombert has a threefold vocation: a center for industrial innovation, a tech business park and training/research facilities. It is located near the A7 and A8 motorways, just 20 minutes from the Marseille Provence International Airport and 15 minutes away from the TGV high speed train station.
- The Marseille-Provence Technopole welcomes companies who seek assistance in all stages of their development, from innovation or the creation of new products to industrial production.
- The Technopole is very active in technology transfers, scientific and economic development, and start-up creation with a center of excellence in energy mechanics and computer-modeling.
A few figures:
- 445 acres including 170 reserved for businesses and training/research organizations
- 150 companies and 3,800 private and public jobs including 1,000 researching professors,
- 2 engineering schools: the Ecole Centrale Marseille (ECM) and the Ecole Polytechnique Universitaire (Polytech Marseille),
- 2 academic centers: the Centre de Mathématiques et d’Informatique (CMI – Center for Mathematics and Computers) and the Centre Inter-Universitaire de Mécanique et Technologie Mécanique (UNIMECA – Inter-university Center for Mechanics and Mechanics Technology),
- research laboratories
- 1 inter-university business incubator: Impulse
- 1 tech business nursery and 1 tech business innovation center: Marseille Innovation,
- 2,800 students
- 1 convention and conference center
Numerous leading companies and laboratories hosted :
- Cybernetix : Robotics
- Innotech: image processing, industrial vision
- Synapsys: medical diagnostic device
- The Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille (LAM)
- The Ecole Centrale de Marseille: Master in Physics
- The Faculté Saint Jérôme: Physics, Material sciences
The competitive cluster Optitec-Popsud :
- Close collaboration between research and industry: the Optitec cluster is governed by the Pôle Optique et Photonique Sud (POPsud). It is labeled "Photonique: systèmes complexes d'optique et d'imagerie". (“Photonics: complex optics systems and imaging”)
- POPsud reinforces partnerships between companies, research laboratories and training organizations in the field of optics, photonics and image processing. Created with the support of Universities, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS – National Scientific Research Center), the Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA – French Atomic Energy Commission), the Institut Français pour l’Exploitation de la Mer (Ifremer – National Institute for Sea Exploration), the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA – National Institute for Research on Computers and Automation) and State and local government authorities, today POPsud draws together regional industry to form a European cluster.
- A network for development: With its policy of exchange and communication, POPsud has built a network to serve regional development. Some of its initiatives include a website, a newsletter, a database, technology watches, networking events, themed seminars and participation in national and international events.
- R&D and technology transfers: Upon the initiative of POPsud, 17 projects using shared scientific and technical equipment were developed by thirty businesses and a dozen labs.
- A few projects recently approved by Optitec:
- CISA, intelligent video surveillance (Kaolab, Nexivision - Marseille)
- Mosahyc, individualized - pixilated glass connectors (Essilor, Kloe - Montpellier)
- Celtic, the largest ground-based telescope (LAM, SESO, Shaktiware, Silions, Institut Fresnel)
- Vision Improved, “heads-up automobile vision” – the projection of data on plastic such as on car windshields, motorcycle visors, etc.
- International relations: POPsud has established privileged links with clusters in Canada, Germany and Switzerland.
www.popsud.org
