1st FORUM of the SYSTEM@TIC PARIS-REGION Cluster

On 8 December 2006, the 1st Forum of the SYSTEM@TIC PARIS-REGION world-class competitiveness Cluster was attended by some 700 innovation specialists and 40 journalists.

These figures embody the success of this event dedicated to the new challenges involved in innovation.

This event marked the existence of the French pôles de compétitivité by revealing the potential of the SYSTEM@TIC PARIS-REGION Cluster only 18 months after it was created. At the heart of the digital revolution, this Cluster dedicated to software engineering and complex systems gathers over 200 partners involved in 37 R&D collaborative projects. These 37 projects represent € 232M of investment in R&D, including € 89M provided by the French Government, the National Research Agency and the OSEO Agency. In addition, 13 new projects developed within the Cluster have just been presented to the French Government for financial support.

The Forum gave the opportunity, through four round tables ( Co-operative research : a key asset for a successful ecosystem– European Networks of Innovation – Competitiveness clusters and local territories – New challenges involved in Innovation) to list the Cluster’s new challenges in terms of credibility, development, international visibility. Among the goals to reach within two years: a 50 % increase of the R&D projects’ volume and of the number of partners, the signature of business agreements between major corporations and SME as a consequence of their collaborative R&D activities, etc.

Parallel to the discussions, the Cluster organized 40 meetings allowing 21 CEOs of the Cluster’s SMEs to meet 6 venture capital companies.

Among the key moments was the signature of a partnership between SYSTEM@TIC PARISREGION and the AEROSPACE VALLEY cluster (south-west of France). This new kind of intercluster partnerships aim to promote the complementarities and synergies between French clusters, to share strategic and technology visions on similar technology fields and to create connexions between the clusters based in different regions. The exhibition space presented the R&D collaborative projects developed within the Cluster’s networks of partners. On this account, Bernard Charlès, President and CEO of Dassault Systèmes presented the 1st results of the “Digital Factory” project.

Several major politicians from the French Government and local authorities (Michèle Alliot-Marie, Minister of Defence, Gilles de Robien, Minister for National Education, Higher Education and Research, François Loos, Minister delegate for Industry and Jean-Paul Huchon, President of the Paris Region) attended the event and expressed their support to the French competitiveness clusters in general and more specifically to the SYSTEM@TIC PARIS-REGION Cluster which is clearly considered as a model.

Pictures, speeches, presentations and videos can be downloaded on http://events-systematic-paris-region.org