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Centres of competitiveness, a new policy
for innovation and the internationalisation of enterprise
networks
Many publications intended for enterprise networks appeared
in the first half of 2004. In February the DATAR
published a report "France, an industrial power. A new
regionally-based industrial policy. Enterprise networks, technology
valleys,
centres of competitiveness." In April Christian
Blanc, deputy for the Yvelines, submitted to the
Prime Minister "An ecosystem for growth", a parliamentary
report dealing with centres of competitiveness.
The CDIF
invited Nicolas Jacquet, representative of
the DATAR, and Christian Blanc for a meeting on 26 May to
share the conclusions of their work with member LPSs. In summary,
the DATAR report shows that enterprise networks are developing
worldwide (there are already more than 460 in Europe). On
balance, LPSs in France have a positive impact on the economy
and on employment. Among its conclusions the DATAR insists
on the fact that the competitiveness of
enterprises depends more and more on the quality of enterprise
networks and on the connections between enterprises, research,
training and geographical area.
The same idea was developed by Christian Blanc. Universities
and research organisations need to provide better support
for applied research intended to benefit commercial partners.
Centres of competitiveness supported by the Regions as meeting
places for enterprises, research organisations and local administrative
structures will facilitate interactions between know-how and
innovation.
Download the DATAR report at www.datar.gouv.fr
Download the Christian Blanc report at www.christian-blanc.net
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LPSs at international
level: a difficult game with high stakes
Instances
of cooperation between LPSs at international level are few, and
seldom successful. A series of meetings on this topic organised
by the DATAR and the CDIF, and the work of the consultant Pierre
Paris, have led to a better understanding of the mechanisms (interests,
hindrances, key factors for success) involved in international partnerships
between LPSs. It seems that these approaches are not normally possible
unless the initiating LPS is already at a certain level of maturity.
Cooperative projects between enterprises that have already succeeded
at local level can provide a precedent for international
cooperation. Another lesson is that cooperation between LPSs can
help enterprises to organise to their own advantage the internationalisation
of subcontract work or technology transfer, which is in any case
inevitable in the long term. Among the hindrances recognised is
the absence at national level of a
structured framework for international cooperation that can provide
LPSs with help from public funds in the medium term for setting
up such projects. Equally, given that the countries with which international
partnerships are proposed (those of eastern Europe for example)
have little experience of cooperation
between enterprises, LPSs also find difficulty in creating effective
partnerships between networks.
On the last point, the CDIF has set up for its members a contacts
file of LPSs and local agencies involved in international economic
partnerships, with the objective of identifying the technological
competence of different countries. If you have a successful experience
and wish to share it, contact the CDIF xavierroy@wanadoo.fr.
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European agreement between textile
and clothing LPSs
In
May 2004, at a meeting organised during Roubaix Textile Week by
the Cité
de l'Initiative LPS, a European agreement between textile
and clothing LPSs was signed by 29 enterprise networks from Italy,
Portugal, Belgium and France (representing a total of 13 000 enterprises).
This agreement is a first step towards a shared initiative by textile
clusters in Europe. It has come about as
a response to the expected shock that will follow the opening of
European frontiers to global textile imports in 2005. Its main objectives
are to coordinate initiatives from enterprises associated with the
agreement, to develop and support European policies in favour of
the textile and clothing sector, and to promote the exchange of
information and good practice between members. Ten French LPSs signed
the agreement.
More information from the Cité de l'Initiative: annie@favrie.com
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International cooperation between
Opticsvalley and China
At
the end of April 2004 Opticsvalley
organised a mission to Shanghai with a delegation from eight enterprises
and three research organisations. The mission allowed members of
the delegation to launch or reinforce partnerships with local players
and to acquire a better understanding of China's technological maturity.
A cooperation agreement between Opticsvalley and the SOTA (the Shanghai
Optical Federation) was signed. The agreement will allow the exchange
of services between the optical enterprise networks of the two countries,
as well as the evaluation of commercial and industrial partnerships
in the Shanghai region.
For more information, contact Nadia Babaali, n.babaali@opticsvalley.org
(Source: Lumière Newsletter 12 May 2004)
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Helping enterprises to build a
joint approach to exports (Languedoc-Rousillon)
Starting
from the position that individual enterprises seldom have the time,
the experience or the financial resources to launch into the export
business, the CCI
de Montpellier has set up an "international nursery"
in order to facilitate cooperative approaches. The idea is a simple
one: to bring methodological tools (activities and structures) to
enterprises working in particular technological areas who are interested
in defining a common strategic approach to international business.
Four groups have already been set up, in cosmetics, water treatment,
IT and biotechnology. Help has been given with the production of
export publicity, the setting-up of an employers' group and the
recruitment and training of an export manager whose time and costs
are shared between participating members. Another interesting result
is that common approaches to the export business in two of the groups
have generated new cooperative projects between enterprises, notably
in the joint development of products.
For more information contact Dominique Andreani, d.andreani@montpellier.cci.fr
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Upcoming events |
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1st July 2004: FTEI conference
"Competitiveness and attractiveness of geographical areas"
Organised by the FTEI (France Technopoles Entreprises Innovation),
this conference deals with the transfer of R&D and new enterprise
services to emerging countries, and the links between private and
public research.
More information on the FTEI's
site
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23 - 24 September 2004: 51st CNER
conference "Centres of competitiveness, enterprise networks:
levers for developing areas?"
Talks, presentations and discussions: "Centres of competitiveness
at the international scale", "Area development by enterprise
networks", "Centres and networks: players and partners".
The results of a study undertaken for the CNER by the Katalyse consultancy
will also be presented, on the theme "Support for enterprise
networks from local administrative structures: policies and results".
More information on the CNER's
site
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28 September - 1 October 2004:
Micronora, international conference on microtechniques (Besançon,
France)
The Microtechniques
du Grand Besançon LPS welcomes the biennial Micronora
conference. Exhibitions, forums, business discussions . . . Four
days to discover the "microtechnical universe".
More information on www.micronora.com
or from contact@micronora.com
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6 - 10 October 2004: "Transmutation"
with the MECA BOURG LPS (Rhône-Alpes, France)
In the autumn the MECA
BOURG LPS will organise "Transmutation", an
event promoting the activities of the Bourg-en-Bresse area in mechanics,
metallurgy and industrial coachbuilding. This field of activity
includes 70 firms and 4500 jobs, and forms one of the two centres
of industrial coachbuilding in France. Visits to firms and laboratories,
explorations of new technologies and exhibitions of vehicles will
accompany five days of "open doors" among the LPS's members.
Renault Trucks will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of its Bourg
factory at the same time.
More information on the event at www.transmutation-bourg.com
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18 - 19 October 2004: Two-day
course at the Sciences-Politiques on regional planning
The theme of the course is "Developing a regional plan and
its economic content". The course has been constructed with
the help of the CDIF
and the ADCF.
The second day will be devoted to the topic of regional projects
for industrial support, particularly those involving LPSs and enterprise
networks (presented by Jean-Marie Rouillier, president of the CDIF).
For information and registration contact François Fiquement
of the Sciences-Politiques, francois.fiquement@sciences-po.fr
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9 - 10 November 2004: Health
and design competition at the Medical Technology
Centre (Saint-Etienne, France)
In the context of the International Design Biennale 2004, the Medical
Textiles LPS (16 firms, 1300 jobs) of the Medical Technology
Centre is organising a competition for innovation and design in
medical devices (the IDDM Trophy). It is directed towards companies
and laboratories in the Rhône-Alpes Region and will select
a medical device for its design quality and innovative characteristics.In
addition, the IDDM Trophy and the Institut Français du Design
will together launch a new prize: the Janus of Health, which will
be awarded on the same occasion to a product in the medical field
with an utstanding design approach. This is an offshoot of the Janus
of Industry, intended for enterprises on a national or international
scale.
For more information on the IDDM
Trophy and the Janus
of Health, contacts and registration: r.rousset@pole-medical.com
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Publications |
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The
Seuil du Poitou Numérique displayed (Poitou-Charentes, France)
The Seuil
du Poitou Numérique (SPn) now has a richer presence
on the Web with its new site www.spn.asso.fr.
The site reveals an LPS under constant development. The SPn now
has more than twenty SMEs as members (130 jobs, 6 million euros
total turnover) and provides support to them in areas such as training
and HR management (joint training, SME/university liaison, training
proposals from centre members). At the beginning of June the SPn
organised its first professional conference on computer applications,
the "Futur & TIC", at the Futuroscope, following the
Futurallia 2004 conference. IT enterprises from Wallonia (French-speaking
Belgium) demonstrated their skills alongside the SPn:
a successful meeting of francophone cultures.
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GUIDINNOV®
2004
The 2004 edition of GUIDINNOV®, the guide for partners in innovation,
has been published. It is intended for managers and backers of novel
projects, financiers of start-ups, researchers and innovative companies.
Published with the support of the INPI (the National Institute for
Industrial Protection), the FNAFI (the National Federation of French
Inventors' Associations), the CCI.fr gateway and the CNISF (the
French National Council of Engineers and Scientists), it lists more
than 550 organisations that can assist with the development of technological
projects. The CDIF is listed under the heading 'Information and
professional groups".
More information on www.guidinnov.fr
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British
clusters for sustainable development (United Kingdom)
Regional Futures has conducted a study to discover whether enterprise
clusters can be used to facilitate sustainable development. The
study considers the important characteristics of clusters concerned
with sustainable development in the United Kingdom, where development
agencies are already promoting the idea. Following the event "Discover
the lustre in sustainable clusters", which took place on 4
December 2003, the site has a ten-step guide to the development
of this type of cluster. Click
here.
(Source: territorial.fr)
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