Sector of Excellence: Industries of the Future

Inventing the industry of tomorrow for a competitive and sustainable region

Industries of the Future: a high value-added and competitive industrial sector focused on developing Industry 4.0 and meeting the challenges of tomorrow.

The complementary strengths of our industrial companies and the synergies of the overall industrial ecosystem are tremendous advantages for developing the cutting-edge technologies of the future. These industrial innovations create a competitive sector that benefits the people and respects the environment.

 

Objective: To make the Industries of the Future sector a global benchmark in sustainable and harmonious economic development and help regional companies capture international markets.

This sector is structured around four fundamental goals:

  • to create a dynamic ecosystem that brings together the major traditional industrial sectors (chemicals, aeronautics, agri-food, etc.) for a shared industrial revival ;
  • to achieve growth and innovation by combining the agility of territory’s small companies with the resources of the territory’s international leaders ;
  • to develop around three regional hubs for industrial excellence: TEAM Henri-Fabre, System Factory, and PIICTO ;
  • to encourage a common approach that considers the social, environmental, and training facets of new industrial projects.
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The sector in a few key numbers

The strength of a powerful industrial foundation in the region combined with an economic and political commitment to reviving and transforming the industrial sector is part of an overeaching effort to achieve greater economic independence. The sector is already powerful today and as it further develops its Industry 4.0 innovations it will be part of an even more dynamic and sustainable future!

1 800
industrial companies
with more than 10 employees

5 %
of the region’s companies are
in the industrial sector

More than 155 000
direct jobs in industry,
and 400 000 jobs when also counting indirect employment.

2 600
new industrial companies
created each year in the region

Economic weight
of the regional industrial sector:
€17 billion
(11% of the total regional economy)

8 official Territories of Industry
in the Sud region under the national program to boost industrial sites

Innovations in the Industries of the Future

The region has a vast array of competitiveness clusters, business networks, trade associations, and French Fab hubs that are true specialists in their fields. They are leading drivers of growth and innovation in the Industries of the Future sector in the Sud region, across France, and around the world. They will provide all the support and advice you might need for your project or company.

Secured Communicating Solutions

Secured Communicating Solutions (SCS) is Europe’s leading cluster for microelectronics, the Internet of Things, digital security, artificial intelligence, and Big Data technologies. The competitiveness cluster brings together an ecosystem of more than 320 industrial stakeholders, including leading corporations, SMEs, start-ups, research centers, laboratories, and universities.

Pôle SCS

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Capenergies

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Capenergies is a competitiveness cluster focused on developing and deploying energy systems that can provide concrete alternatives to fossil fuels. Capenergies works in a range of energy domains: energy demand management, solar, wind, hydraulic, marine & geothermal energies, biomass & bioenergies, hydrogen & energy storage, coupling & integration of energy systems, nuclear fission, and nuclear fusion.

Pôle de Compétitivité – Capenergies

Security and Aerospace actors for the Future of Earth - SAFE

The SAFE (Security and Aerospace actors for the Future of Earth) competitiveness cluster brings together stakeholders in the security, risk management, space, and aerospace sectors. The core activity of the SAFE cluster is to conceive and create innovative solutions for the security of people and the protection of the environment. The cluster’s goal is to become the top European network for security solutions.

Safe Cluster

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Pôle Mer Méditerranée

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The Pôle Mer Méditerranée cluster promotes the sustainable development of the maritime and coastal economy in the Mediterranean basin and around the world by encouraging innovative projects, supporting companies, and fostering green growth. In the Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, the competitiveness cluster brings together scientific and economic stakeholders that are concerned with maritime and coastal developments that involve questions of security and sustainability.

Pôle Mer Méditerranée

Innov’Alliance

Innov’Alliance is a competitiveness cluster that supports innovation and growth for regional companies in the agricultural, well-being, and natural living sectors. It focuses on sustainable agricultural, advanced agricultural technologies, and more virtuous agricultural production processes.

Innov’Alliance

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Optitec

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The Optitec competitiveness cluster is dedicated to deep tech in photonics and imaging. This cluster leads an ecosystem of 220 stakeholders, including manufacturers, research institutions, and training organizations. Its ambition is to promote and support breakthrough innovations that create economic growth and jobs.

Optitec

Aqua-Valley

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The Aqua-Valley cluster contributes to the economic development of the regional water sector to meet the territory’s health, social, economic, and environmental challenges. The cluster also works to support companies’ growth and job creation.

Aqua-Valley

French Fab

French Fab represents companies, economic stakeholders, institutions, and industrial sites that are based in France and working to develop and advance French industry. Its objectives are:

  • to accelerate the transformation of industry in France (Industries of the Future)
  • to create networks and foster synergies between industrial stakeholders
  • to enhance the national and international visibility and standing of French industry
  • to ensure a prosperous future for industrial professions (from training to employment)
  • to provide information about public support available for industrial activities.

French Fab

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Novachim

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On both an individual and collective basis, the Novachim cluster supports the economic development of companies in the regional chemicals and materials sector, in particular by fostering innovation and promoting links between industry and academic research. Novachim is a network that currently brings together more than 190 companies and close to 50 research teams.

Novachim

The diverse array of stakeholders involved in the Industries of the Future strategic sector are contributing to the emergence of large-scale projects across the region.
 
One example of the cutting-edge pilot projects that are located in the region is the Dirigeables Project. This is a unique large-scale plan to design and develop the dirigibles of tomorrow by bringing together five industrial programs in a single location: the Airship Village in Istres (Bouches-du-Rhône).

These five programs are focused on different areas of development:

  • Stratobus: geostationary airships at 20 km altitude
  • LCA 60T: transport of heavy loads of up to 60 metric tons and at speeds of up to 120 km/h
  • Aerolifter: wire-guided air crane for timber, skidding, construction
  • A-N 20.000: multi-mission airship, from 6 to 12 metric tons, surveillance, construction
  • Drones: drones with a load capacity of 70 kg, surveillance, construction
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The iconic sites

In addition to the wealth of competitiveness clusters, hubs, and large-scale projects in the Sud region, there are other vital stakeholders that foster development and innovation in the Industries of the Future sector:

Team Henri Fabre

Team Henri Fabre: Located at a 150-hectare site, this project uses collaborative methods to develop world-class expertise in areas such as mechanics, materials, and new industrial processes. Through this large-scale project, these stakeholders wish to develop new production, automation, and robotic processes. This is part of a broader mission to develop new tools and incorporate adaptations to create a model for the extended factory of the future

Projet Henri Fabre

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System Factory

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System Factory: This innovation hub features an operational center, a data center, design and integration tools, and test facilities with real maritime or aerial environments while also providing a range of services to develop complex systems. The project is composed of a platform with software and system expertise. It is led by TVT Innovation, in cooperation with the Pôle Mer Méditerranée maritime cluster and the SAFE security and aerospace cluster.

System Factory

PIICTO

PIICTO : This Mediterranean industrial platform focuses on advancing green industrial development by using the energy transition as a vector of change towards Industry 4.0. In this context, the platform also facilitates the improvement of organizational schemes to take advantage of energy synergies and the mutualization of services/units/products in an industrial-port context.

Piicto

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La Coque

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La Coque: As an innovation and demonstration center for the Mediterranean Smart City, La Coque showcases the region’s start-ups and new technologies. The venue includes a showroom dedicated to IoT and a BIM auditorium and can present a diverse array of digital projects while allowing visitors to give feedback on the technologies on display thanks to interactive systems.

La Coque

ITER

ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor): One of the most ambitious energy projects in the world today, ITER involves 35 countries working together in the South of France to build the world’s largest tokamak. This experiment is designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale, carbon-free energy source based on the same principle that powers the sun and stars.

ITER

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A network of sites and stakeholders that are essential to the Sud region’s economy

This map shows a selection of the organizations, projects, platforms, business parks, and institutions that are essential for the Industries of the Future sector in the Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.

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Major companies in the Industries of the Future sector

A complete research and innovation ecosystem dedicated to the Industries of the Future

 

The region’s Industries of the Future sector features leading French and international companies.
The industrial ecosystem comprises a vast and diverse network of businesses that will be the source of potential partnerships and opportunities for your project. Here is a selection of the industrial companies that have infrastructure dedicated to the Industries of the Future in the Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region:Airbus Helicopters, Air Liquide, ArcelorMittal, Areva, Arkema, Atos, Berthier équipements, CMR Group, CNIM, CS,CSTI, Dassault aviation, ECA Robotics, EDF, Gemalto, Groupe ADF, INEOS, Kem One, Lyondellbasell, Naval Group, Optis, Safran, Schneider, ST, Thales Alenia, Technoplus industrie, Veolia, Weir…

Industries of the Future, in their words!

“Our decision to locate in Marseille was a result of requests from our customers. The city is open to the world and is the best location for data exchange between Europe, African, and Asia.”
Fabrice Coquio, President of Interxion, data center, Marseille

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“Provence was an obvious choice for us as an industrial engineering company in the energy sector. The diversity of the means of production (nuclear, thermal…) is the territory’s major advantage.”
Damien Desprez, CEO of Doosan Babcock France, Aix-en-Provence

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“In 2015, we chose to set up in Sophia Antipolis because the ecosystem here is undeniably highly favorable for research and development in the field of onboard electronics. Today, our initial objectives have been achieved, and we are opening a larger center that will enable us to bring together all the skills needed to carry out our research into electronic assistance systems for autonomous vehicles.”
Bosch, R&D center, Sophia Antipolis

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The major recurring events related to the Industries of the Future in the Sud region

The Sud region and its neighboring territories host a wide range of trade shows and events to support and develop the Industries of the Future. A few examples of the events:

Forum de l’Industrie de Demain

Forum de l’Industrie de Demain: At the national level, there is the Fabrique de l’Avenir industrial trade fair, and in the Sud region, there is an associated trade fair, the Industries Méditerranée. The objective is to provide a showcase to illustrate the nature of modern industry and to improve communication about industrial professions to make them more attractive.
Date: TBA
Location: Marseille, France

Forum Industries Méditerranée

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Industria

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Industria : Over the years, Industria has become the benchmark industrial event that brings together the region’s entire industrial ecosystem. Industria is a high-end, user-friendly trade show that aims to promote industrial expertise and enhance the attractiveness of industrial professions by offering them optimum visibility.
Date: TBA
Location: Cagnes-sur-Mer, France

Iter Business Forum – IBF

Iter Business Forum – IBF: The ITER Business Forum is a unique opportunity to make business contacts within the ITER program and beyond. The IBF provides an opportunity to learn more about the status of ITER, to be apprised of upcoming sub-contracting opportunities, and to facilitate partnerships between industries, both inside and outside Europe

Dates: 5 to 7 April 2022
Location: Palais du Pharo, Marseille

IBF

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Selection of documentation about the sector

A wide variety of support documents are available to provide information and help promote this sector. We propose a selection of the most informative documents so you can discover the richness of the Industries of the Future ecosystem:

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Download in French

Sector Brochure

A general summary of the sector that is appropriate for any type of event. Four pages, in French and in English.

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Download in French
Download in English

HR Guide for Sector

Multi-purpose document presenting the human resources connected to this sector. Four pages, in French and in English.

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Download in French

Benchmark

Comparison of the regional sector with other French or international regions of comparable size and/or comparable sector of activity. Document of close to 70 pages, in French.

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Download in French

Keynote

Presentation of the Industries of the Future strategic sector. Document of close to 30 pages, in French and English.

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Download in French

Panorama

An economic overview of the Industries of the Future strategic sector (key figures, business networks, major contractors and companies, main assets of the territory …). Document of more than 40 pages, in French.

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Download in French

Visit Program

Listing of the major projects, platforms, clusters, and iconic sites connected to this sector. This document illustrates some of the most important places in this sector and provides with you with comprehensive overview that will give you a clearer idea of some of the region’s assets. Document close to 25 pages, in French and English.

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