During the "economic Meetings of the employment ", organized on October 7th of this year by the Region Picardie within the context of the preparation of its Regional Plan of Economic development ( SRDE), the President of the Region, Claude Gewerc, marked its intention to support networks of companies and clusters. Convinced that picardie’ SMEs have, by their ability to react and their proximity with organism as the technological University of Compiègne (UTC), the capacity to quickly invest with niches with high added value, the President Gewerc suggests to register to SRDE, the support for companies networks and clusters to facilitate them the access to the R&D and to the innovation. Called by the Region to be showed on examples of clusters, the CDIF was present to participate in the mobilization of companies to make a commitment in dynamics of cooperation.

Within the context of an international conference on the regional development and the innovation which was held at the beginning of October in Korea (Daegu) on the initiative of the Korean government, perspective of policies concerning innovation and cluster engaged by some countries were presented. Korea and France (DATAR) were able in this occasion to compare their policies. The passage of a policy of field (top down) with a policy closer to that followed in France with LPSs then competitiveness centres took shape at the end of the 90s (without big gap consequently with regard to the calendar of policies led in European countries). This policy was decided in 2000. From the support for regions and to their leading productive sectors, the plan for the development of the regional industry (2001-2007) deported to give the priority to the innovation and to the R&D. Some sectors present in a dozen cities and provinces are the target.
This policy of cluster has the double ambition to strengthen the national competitiveness but also to bring an answer to the unequal development of the country, the concentration of human and productive resources in the region of Seoul being at the origin of a grave irregularity.
To know more about it

“All join in the front line ". According to an effective visual declension, companies of Rhone-Alps Packaging (40 members, 1000 jobs) appear united as a team of rugby to receive, on January 25th and 25th of this year, their customers, partners and givers during the 1st edition of the regional business agreement Rhone-Alps PACK which will be held in Grenoble. Key objective of the event: show their additional know-how, their offer capacity of global solutions and the strong culture of innovation which they share with various expertise centres of the region.
Information and registration on the site of Rhone-Alps Packaging
Contact: mailto:kgorsen@ra-packaging.asso.fr
Show the booklet of the event.

Other event packaging to be noted: in December 6-7th, 2005 VS Pack, Show of the innovation Packaging of Wines and Spirit, Cognac, organized by the packaging-conditioning centre Atlanpack. On the program, notably: more than hundred’ exhibitors to reach all the solutions-packaging, a competition "Free Pack" to encourage and promote design and packaging training, an exhibition " Crea " reserved for the design agencies.
To know more about VS Pack Contact: info@atlanpack.com
Return to the contents.

The DATAR launched, in the current of October, 2005, a study relative to the implication of SMEs and LPSs in the competitiveness centres. Confided to the Ernst & Young cabinet and followed by a committee of piloting which associates the Departments of Commerce the agriculture and the CDIF, this work notably has for objective to encircle the various modalities of integration of SMEs and LPSs in projects of centres, their strategies of proximity, their roles, their shared projects, and the method of partnership functioning. The results are waited for December, 2005 and a meeting of restitution of results will be organized in January, 2006.
Contact: mailto:paulette.pommier@datar.gouv.fr

Following its last meeting of October, the national Committee of LPSs gets the result of its annual activity. During 5 held meetings, the committee decided to finance more LPSs than previous years. This increase explains on one side by capital assigned by the CIADT of September 14th, 2004 and on the other hand by a bigger number of projects LPS candidates to get a label. Among 12 LPSs having benefited from capital assigned by the national Committee LPS, four of them had been candidates to the projects appeal competitiveness centre of the beginning of the year. The amount of the financing allotted to 12 projects in 2005 is 510 600 Euro; 8 correspond to new projects LPS and 4 are LPSs in development which presented an action plan viewing to raise their performances in specific domains (cf. results more detailed to be published on the Internet site of the datar). We meet these LPSs in domains as the building trade and building materials, the floriculture, the mechanics, the eco-industry, TIC. We notice the appearance of new domains which had not concerned LPS until now, what translates their effort to position on new niche on the market.

François Loos, Minister of State in the foreign trade has order a “Plan of mobilization in favour to the export of French companies” (December, 2004). Some of these measures address particularly SMEs. To incite French SMEs which, different to Italian or Germen SMEs, hesitate to go grouped abroad, the Plan proposes that " associations or GIE creates by SMEs which will mutualize their export function benefit from the increased credit-export” 80 000 euros instead of 40 000 euros when they will recruit an employee dedicated to the export.
Other measure which may interest LPSs (and competitiveness centres): the porterage of SMEs by a big group. It constitutes an important vector to help SMEs to export. The association «Partnership France» which regroups around thirty big companies is tightly associated into this encouragement in direction to SMEs.
Read the file Support Export December 2004 of F.Loos
Read the File Course Export 2005