Atlanpole
Atlanpole, Land of innovation
Promoting innovation in the Nantes-Saint Nazaire metropolitan area's economic basin.
Technopole is a global concept of economic development based on innovation.
It is mainly supported by a strong partnership between local authorities, chambers of commerce and University.
The constitution of such an unified network was made possible just because networking and incubation play a major role in
technopoles strategies.
Since its creation in 1987, ATLANPOLE has integrated itself into a broad, open environment. Its mission: use innovation to stimulate economic activity in the Loire estuary economic zone (the Loire-Atlantique, Vendee and Choletais areas). Within this zone, any business can become "Atlanpolitan" provided that it innovates and creates links with the key players from the local hi-tech community (other companies, universities and research organizations).
As the technopole for the "Nantes Atlantique" economic area, ATLANPOLE's vocation is to bring entrepreneurs and researchers together, thus stimulating the creation and development of innovative companies.
Boasting a European Business Innovation Center since 1997 and given official recognition as a company incubator by the French Ministry of Research in 1999, the Nantes Atlantique technopole has reinforced its skills base and infrastructure in order to produce more spin-outs and innovative projects and to provide ever more professional business support.
About Nantes…
Nantes is the economic enter of western France. This wide region covers an area of about 33,000 square miles
- comparable to Austria, Portugal. It hosts about 8 million residents (double of the population of Ireland).
It is located at the heart of the richest Europe at a central position for Atlantic and North West Europe with an immediate
proximity to Paris and London.
As the capital city of this territory, Nantes concentrates 10 % of the inhabitants of this region, and is also the 6th most
important city in France. The historical industrial power relies on Aeronautic industry, Shipbuilding and food industry.
In the last 20 years, new industrial sectors such as Mecanics and electronics, or plasturgy appeared and developped.
And in the last 10 to 5 years, New Materials, ICT, Life Sciences and Biotechologies appaered to be promising fields for
the future.
Nantes is also a famous university center, with more than 50 000 students. The Nantes University, re-created in 1963, is a
multi disciplinary University, and the 4th French University in size. It is completed by 15 higher education centers such
as engeeniring schools (Ecole des Mines, Ecole Polytechnique, Ecole Centrale).
More about Nantes :
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