Research and laboratories
A wealth of facilities
THE AGENCY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND
ENERGY MANAGEMENT
ADEME is involved with the implementation of public policy in the fields of environment, energy and sustainable development. It provides its expertise and consulting capacities to companies, local authorities, government bodies and the general public, to enable them to make strides in their environmental programmes.
THE FRENCH AGENCY
FOR FOOD,
ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
The French agency for food, environmental and occupational health and safety (ANSES) strives to produce scientific expertise by assessing health risks and to thus inform public action. The Sophia Antipolis laboratory specialises in the study of diseases of ruminants, as well as the major diseases and poisoning phenomena affecting bees.
THE CENTRE FOR MATERIAL FORMING
CEMEF is a multi-disciplinary research centre of MINES ParisTech engineering school and the ARMINES association which manages the school’s contract research. CEMEF research explores materials and industrial shaping processes, transformation and the application properties of the latter. CEMEF works in close collaboration with manufacturers and academics through study partnerships, often overseas.
THE CENTRE FOR STUDIES AND EXPERTISE ON RISKS, THE ENVIRONMENT, MOBILITY AND DEVELOPMENT
Set up in 2014, Cerema is a public administrative body whose purpose is to support public policies for ecological transition and territorial cohesion.
Its local agency based in Sophia Antipolis, specialises in geohazards and more particularly, seismic risk. Cerema supports territorial stakeholders in implementing their projects, drawing on its expertise and potential for innovation and research.
It has nine spheres of action, including land-use and territorial cohesion, energy transition and climate, mobility and transport, environment, risk prevention, habitat and buildings.
THE RESEARCH CENTRE FOR HETEROEPITAXY AND ITS APPLICATIONS
CRHEA is a laboratory specialised in the epitaxy of wide bandgap semiconductor materials. CRHEA also develops new approaches for optical waveguides based on metasurfaces, photonic circuits and sensors. The fields of application cover power electronics, telecommunications, spintronics, LED-based lighting and micro-displays, THz ultraviolet lasers, advanced optical components and quantum technologies.
THE FRENCH NATIONAL CENTRE
FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
CNRS is an EPST – a scientific and technological public body, employing 32,000 people as well as boasting over 1,100 laboratories. On the French Riviera, the CNRS, the territory’s largest research body, has 28 research and service structures and approximately 1,000 employees. It spans a number of disciplines in close collaboration with its academic partners, and holds huge potential for technological transfer, value creation and international research influence for the territory.
THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL CENTRE FOR BUILDING
CSTB strives to guarantee the quality and safety of buildings. It helps stakeholders to address the cycle of innovation from concept to market and transformations in the world of building when it comes to the environment, energy and digital transitions.
THE EUROPEAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS STANDARDS INSTITUTE
ETSI (The European Telecommunications Standards Institute) is a non-profit organisation which aims to standardise the field of telecommunications. ETSI is officially responsible for the standardisation of the Information and communications Technologies (ICT) for Europe.
THE GÉOAZUR LABORATORY
This laboratory is a multi-disciplinary research unit under the auspices of UCA, OCA (Observatoire Côte d’Azur), CNRS and IRD (Development Research Institute). It comprises geophysicists, geologists, and astronomers working on crucial scientific issues such as telluric hazards and associated risks, lithosphere dynamics and Earth imaging; geodesy and metrology of the Earth and the nearby universe.
THE RESEARCH GROUP ON
LAW, ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT
GREDEG is a Joint Research Centre under the dual auspices of CNRS and UCA. GREDEG’s research activities combine economic, legal and managerial perspectives around a central theme dedicated to innovation and knowledge. GREDEG is also one of the founders of the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme et de la Société Sud-Est. One of GREDEG’s key features is a multi-disciplinary approach and specifically going beyond social sciences. Research areas cover law applied to various disciplines including agribusiness, the environment and intellectual property, etc.
THE FRENCH NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
FOR AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND ENVIRONMENT
The Inrae Sud Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur centre focuses on the agroecology of cultivation systems using greenhouses and orchards and modelling the regionalised impact of climate change on a landscape scale. Inrae is currently ranked 4th in France out of 17 Inra centres, with a consolidated budget of 54 million euros. It accommodates 1,000 agents, including 700 permanent agents.
THE FRENCH NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE
FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE AND AUTOMATION
With graduates from the world’s top universities, Inria’s 2,400 employees rise to the challenges of digital sciences. Inria is responsible for countless added value innovations, which have an impact on society and business and which create jobs.
THE INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR PHARMACOLOGY
IPMC is a multi-thematic research centre in biology affiliated with the National Centre for Scientific Research [CNRS] and Université Côte d’Azur. The world-class research teams of the IPMC work on new therapeutic targets for human diseases. The researchers benefit from a high-level technological environment in molecular and cellular biology, imaging, cytometry, biomolecular analysis, electrophysiology, functional genomics and integrative biology.
THE SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS LABORATORY FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE,
SIGNALS AND SYSTEMS
The I3S laboratory is one of the most important research laboratories in the field of information and communication sciences on the French Riviera. It brings together researchers from 4 components of Université Côte d’Azur (UCA): Polytech Nice Sophia (engineering school), the Faculty of Sciences, the IUT, the CNRS and Inria.
Affiliated with the CRNS INS21 [institute of computer science] and their interactions, the research teams work on the following subject areas: communications, networks, embedded and distributed systems (COMRED), discreet models for complex systems (MDSC), signals, images and systems (SIS) and scalable and pervasive softwARe and knowledge systems (SPARKS).
THE SOPHIA AGROBIOTECH INSTITUTE
ISA is a joint research centre, affiliated with INRAE, CNRS and Université Nice Sophia Antipolis. The main research topics are situated at the interface between agriculture and environment, and concern biotic interactions between crops. For this, ISA brings together strong expertise in evolutionary and functional biology, comparative genomics, population and community ecology and agronomy.
One of the goals being to identify innovative strategies for plant health which are more respectful of the environment and human health, by reducing agriculture’s reliance on the use of pesticides.
THE LABORATORY OF ELECTRONICS, ANTENNAS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
LEAT is a joint research unit of Université Côte d’Azur (UCA) and CNRS. Research activities are undertaken in the fields of telecommunications, radars, e-health, security, intelligent buildings, observation of the Earth, sustainable development, etc. They are divided into three themes: Modelling, Design of Communicating Object Systems (MCSOC), Antenna Design and Modelling (CMA) and Microwave Imaging and Antenna Systems (ISA).
The Joint Antenna Research Centre (CREMANT), set up in 2008, is a joint laboratory between UCA, CNRS and Orange. It has enabled the pooling of staff and equipment between academic researchers from LEAT and Orange Labs engineers on common research subjects.
THE WORLD WIDE WEB CONSORTIUM
The W3C is a non-profit standardisation body, responsible for promoting the compatibility of World Wide Web technologies. The European W3C is based in Sophia Antipolis, integrated within Inria Sophia Antipolis Mediterranean. It is involved with designing modern html languages.
Organisations at your service
Organisations
THE SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS URBAN COMMUNITY
Sophia Antipolis Urban Community, set up in 2002, is composed of 24 coastal and back country towns. The Sophia Antipolis technology park is located at the heart of its geographical area, spanning four of its municipalities: Antibes, Valbonne, Biot and Vallauris which correspond to more than 80% of the territory of the technology park.
The Sophia Antipolis Technology park management team manages the technology park and its economic development on a day-to-day basis, in connection with its partners and the key Sophia Antipolis stakeholders. The team also manages the Business Hub, an emblematic centre for innovation in the technology park dedicated to creating and developing innovative companies, as well as serving as an events and meeting space for company support stakeholders, competitiveness clusters, etc.
SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS JOINT ASSOCIATION
SYMISA was set up in 1972 to coordinate initiatives and to plan and schedule events in Sophia Antipolis. SYMISA is responsible for managing land, equipment, marketing and upkeeping the park and is involved with coordination activities for harmonious development of the technology park.
It ensures strict application of planning rules and guarantees site sustainability by selecting implantations according to type of activity. To this end, for several decades, it managed the sale of public plots to encourage the development of the technology park and business establishment.
Discover
MÉTROPOLITAIN CAP AZUR HUB
The Métropolitain CAP AZUR Hub, set up in 2018, brings together the urban areas of Sophia-Antipolis, Cannes Lérins, Pays de Grasse and the Alpes d’Azur federation of municipalities.
The aim of CAP AZUR is to seek to develop joint actions in the west of the Alpes Maritimes Department in order to improve services provided to citizens in these 4 residential areas, in particular understanding and costing of these services, by means of pooling their means and resources.
These initiatives include for example developing sustainable mobility between the areas, economic attractivity and development, environmental challenges, public health, energy management and access to culture for all.
THE ALPES MARITIMES DEPARTMENT
The Alpes-Maritimes Regional Council is the deliberative body of the Alpes-Maritimes Department. It is active in many fields and impels large territorial development projects such as the SMART Deal (digital transition scheme), the GREEN Deal (environmental transition scheme) and the deployment of very high-speed Internet in the framework of the digital coverage blueprint (SDDAN).
In the Sophia Antipolis technology park, in March 2020 the CD06 opened the 1st Artificial Intelligence House [Maison de l’Intelligence Artificielle], the only one of its kind in France for exchanging views, sharing, demonstrations and cooperation around Artificial Intelligence and dedicated to schools and the general public.
THE SUD PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE D’AZUR REGION
The Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region is a territorial authority comprising six departments: the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence; the Hautes-Alpes; Alpes-Maritimes; the Bouches-du-Rhône; the Varand the Vaucluse.
The Region’s scope of intervention is very broad. It addresses areas of public interest at a regional territorial level.
Through its Regional Plan of Economic Development, Innovation and Internationalisation, (SRDEII) the Sud Region furthers the territory’s economic development. In this way, it supports the development of companies through business creation drives, financing, support for innovation, internationalisation and territorial attractivity.
ALPES MARITIMES PREFECTURE
The prefect represents the French State in the department, while the sub-prefects assist him or her. As the government’s delegate, he or she directly represents the Prime Minister and each or the ministers. He or she is responsible for national interests and manages state services in the department. The prefect plays a key role in inter-ministerial politics on a territorial level. He or she also guarantees coherent and sustainable development of state policies in the department.
He or she is one of the key players of local economic development, offering support and facilitating all processes which promote economic activity and job creation. The prefect is also responsible for coordinating territorial intelligence policymaking.
THE FOUNDATION SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS
Recognized as a public utility, the Foundation Sophia Antipolis carries out strategic and operational missions in France and abroad, promoting the development and influence of the technology park in economic, scientific and social fields.
Discover
NICE COTE D'AZUR CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
CCI Nice Côte d’Azur is a public administrative body (EPA) responsible for representing the interests of companies in the Alpes-Maritimes and offering them a range of services to help them create, innovate and develop in optimum conditions.
It has 5 strategic aims, implemented by its teams in different fields: stimulating economic life; informing businesses; facilitating synergies for the benefit of the territory; developing high-performance infrastructure and training the employees of tomorrow.
A network of players
Support and financing
BPI France
Created in 2012, the Public Investment Bank [Banque Publique d’Investissem*nts] aims to support the growth and development of companies using a network of banking, investor and institutional partners. In particular, BPI supports the financing of innovation, co-financing alongside banks, support for exports and financing investments.
BUSINESS HUB
The Business Hub building in central Sophia Antipolis is home to an incubator for innovative companies, a business centre, shared and event spaces, a co-working area and partners of the innovation ecosystem. The companies and partners take advantage of communal services and 24-hour access to their private spaces.
Discover
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
For trade and service industries, CCI Nice Côte d’Azur is the competent business registration centre. CCI assists in particular with registration, provides a “5 days of entrepreneurialism” course and helps with company formation and takeover.
CHAMBER OF TRADESMEN AND ARTISANS
For trade and service industries, CCI Nice Côte d’Azur is the competent business registration centre. CCI assists in particular with registration, provides a “5 days of entrepreneurialism” course and helps with company formation and takeover. The Chamber assists with registration, access to training and advice about company formation and takeover.
PACA EAST INCUBATOR
Set up in July 2000, the PACA-East incubator is one of 29 academic incubators selected and subsidised by the Ministry of Research.
The PACA-East incubator is particularly involved with the creation of innovative companies and therefore of high-added-value jobs, focusing on skills upgrading and transferring technologies from university laboratories and public research institutions.
TELECOM PARIS ENTREPRENEUR INCUBATOR
Beyond its teaching, research and continuous training activities, Télécom Paris has made company creation one of its strategic focuses for more than a decade. To support budding companies and project initiators, Télécom Paris opened an incubator in Paris and another in Sophia-Antipolis, which opened in 2006, baptised Télécom Paris Eurecom Entrepreneurs, bringing itself closer to its Eurecom sector.
Télécom Paris is involved with economic development policy; using its incubator to detect and support the creation of innovative companies in the Sophia Antipolis territory, as well as supporting creators when it comes to logistics, hosting and individual support.
SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS AGGLOMERATION INITIATIVE
The Sophia Antipolis Agglomeration Initiative was set up in 2008 by the Sophia Antipolis Urban Community to deliver financial support to creators and anyone taking over small business in the territory.
The association is a member of the National France Initiative Network [Réseau National France Initiative], which brings together 241 platforms, each active in a specific territory.
Thanks to the Initiative Network, supported business leaders can rely on financial support in the form of interest-free loans and tailored support for the first few years of the life of their business; supported companies can also be sponsored.
In 1989, the French Regional Institute of Business Leaders (IRCE) was created under the aegis of business leaders to develop and implement collective training initiatives and support schemes for entrepreneurs, and to assist business creation and takeover.
Through training and support provided to entrepreneurs, the association aims to bolster entrepreneurs in their leading roles and to foster the stability and development of companies.
village by ca
Le Village by CA Provence Côte d’Azur, is a member of the Village by CA network of start-up accelerators, backed by the Crédit Agricole’s Regional Banks. The network represents more than 30 Villages in France and abroad.
Le Village by CA provides support and personalised 23-month acceleration for chosen start-ups with personalised coaching, and uses a national and international network of partners and thematic experts.
RÉSEAU ENTREPRENDRE NETWORK
Réseau Entreprendre is a national network that aims to create SMEs and ETIs in the territories, networks of volunteer entrepreneurs, and to support them with job creation potential to help them succeed in creating, taking over and growing their business.
The support provided by the Réseau Entreprendre network is based on 4 main areas: financial support, collective support, individual support from a company director who is a member of the association and integration into national and international economic networks.
High quality training
Academics
DSTI is a private higher education institution, with dual status of a vocational training institution and a private higher education institution. DSTI trains Data Scientists and data engineers, offering Artificial Intelligence and Big Data courses. The school also enables its students to obtain two industrial degrees
The EURECOM engineering school develops both teaching and research activities organised around 3 main fields of expertise: digital security, communication systems and data science. EURECOM maintains solid partnerships with the industrial sector, in particular companies such as Orange, BMW, Symantec, Monaco Télécom and SAP and received “Institut Carnot” certification in 2006.
The largest school in France in terms of contractual research, MINES ParisTech provides substantial research activity for industry. Its research domains span from energy to materials, applied mathematics, geosciences and social and economic sciences.
Created in 1986, IDRAC Business School Nice-Sophia Antipolis now accommodates 350 students in Sophia Antipolis. Three programmes are proposed: a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing & Business; MBA programmes specialised in Strategy & Business Innovation and a BTS [Advanced Technician’s Certificate] programme for different sectors.
UCS Engineering School, Polytech Nice Sophia is part of the French national network of Polytechnic engineering schools (Polytechnic University). Located on the SophiaTech campus, its innovative and world-class courses cover the following domains: Buildings, Electronics and Industrial Computing, Biological Engineering, Water Engineering, Applied Mathematics and Computer Modelling and Science.
Skema Business School opened in 2009 after the merger of ESC Lille Business School and CERAM Business School in Sophia Antipolis. Skema offers international courses to students at 7 campuses in 5 countries: South Africa, Brazil, China, The United States and France. A centre for excellence, it ranks 12th worldwide in the classification for best Master’s courses in Management in the Financial Times.
An Initiative of Excellence (IDEX) accredited institution and an intensive research university, UCA is one of the 10 leading universities in France and offers various multi-disciplinary courses at its Sophia Antipolis campus.
UCA offers short courses at the IUT (University Institute of Technology), Master’s courses in business and management at the IAE (Institute of Business Administration) and Master’s and PhD courses at its 8 University Research Institutions. The courses are supported by the research undertaken in the university’s laboratories. Students therefore become aware of the university’s research themes while completing their undergraduate degree course.
Ynov campus is a training institution for digital professions. Recently opened in Sophia Antipolis, the school offers a number of different courses ranging from Bachelor’s to Master’s degrees in various domains: IT, marketing & communication, creation & design, audio-visual and animation (2D and 3D) & video games.
the Atman Osteopathy campus proposes several human and animal osteopathy courses, as well as ongoing training for osteopathic medicine doctors and qualified physical therapists. The campus currently has 300 students in a 3,500 m2 area comprising a school building, a treatment centre and an osteopathic revitalisation centre for sportsmen and women.
A network of partners
Associations & Clusters
Cluster IA stemmed from the willingness to create a nationally-focused local cluster, fostering the development of artificial intelligence. Around forty members, made up of entrepreneurs, start-ups and large groups linked to artificial intelligence on the French Riviera connect thanks to the local cluster — an interface of trust, bringing about initiatives in the AI domain.
EDUCAZUR
EducAzur is a professional non-profit association, bringing together the main digital education players to stimulate technological innovation in the area and accelerate the up-take and use of digital technology by all.
It constitutes a cluster of large groups, SMEs, start-ups, research bodies, training organisations, and public and private education institutions, which is helping to give rise to a local population and workforce with a level of education which meets the demands of the digital world. The EducAzur Cluster chairs the French national “Ed’Tech/Entertainment” thematic network.
etsi
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute, is a non-profit whose aim is to standardise the telecommunications domain. ETSI is officially responsible for ICT standardisation for Europe.
CAPENERGIES CLUSTER
CAPENERGIES is a professional non-profit organisation, which strives to bring together the ecosystem of energy efficiency and transition and the Smart Grids sector in the PACA region, to foster the growth of companies and ties to public research, of which it strives to become the local intermediary.
It also aims to promote on a departmental and CASA territorial level editing and engineering of collaborative projects in the Smart- and Flexgrids sectors (networks and intelligent buildings), in synergy with the entire local national and international ecosystem.
EUROBIOMED CLUSTER
EUROBIOMED is a professional non-profit association which aims to federate on a PACA and Occitania Regional level the Health, Biotechnologies, Immunotherapy, MedTech, Diagnosis and Aging ecosystem and to encourage by various means — in particular through its 387 members and personalised assistance CELLCOMP and BIOREZO — the growth of companies and ties to public research, of which it strives to the local intermediary.
EUROBIOMED, the leading diagnosis network in Europe and the leading Cluster positioned in immunotherapy and diagnosis, also wishes to promote on a territorial level, the editing and engineering of collaborative FUI projects and other regional/European mechanisms in the Health sector, support the launch of new products and services, work towards the consolidation and development of the Sophia Antipolis Biopark, the Bioincubation dynamic in the Technology park, and finally coordinate the sector in synergy with the local ecosystem.
PASS CLUSTER
As part of its intervention in the entire aromatic and cosmetic sector, the strategy of the TERRALIA-PASS SUD EST cluster aims to capitalise on its expertise as an international reference centre for the characterisation, evaluation and production of natural extracts used in the aromatic and cosmetic industry.
OPTITEC CLUSTER
Optitec is a competitiveness cluster dedicated to photonics and imaging technologies, applicable to various fields of activity such as security, the industry of the future, health and biological analysis and precision agriculture. The Cluster assists sector member companies with their development and growth.
SAFE CLUSTER
The SAFE Cluster is the only French cluster to be positioned in the 2 complementary sectors both in terms of their technologies and uses, which are aeronautics and aerospace, as well as solutions and security systems in the “CSF Security Industries” sector.
To this end, the SAFE Cluster is involved with the economic development policy by contributing to the implementation, coordination, promotion, influence and visibility of the ecosystem of Global Security, aerospace and its applications in the Sophia Antipolis territory but it also encourages the set-up of collaborative projects on the theme with companies and the territorial authority, also in conjunction with Operations of Regional Interest.
SCS CLUSTER
The SCS Cluster, a regional cluster in the PACA region, boasts 308 members and assists the Secured Communicating Solutions sector in the Sophia Antipolis Technology park. This sector witnesses many innovations and technological breakthroughs; it focuses on 4 key areas (Microelectronics, Digital Security, the Internet of Objects, Big Data & AI), serving 5 rapidly growing application markets (Industry 4.0, Smart Cities, Logistics & Transport, E-health & Wellbeing and Connected Vehicles).
In accordance with its statutes, SCS federates the ecosystem of Secured Communicating Solutions and encourages through various means — in particular through its service offer — the growth of companies in connection with public research, of which it strives to become the local intermediary. The aim of the Cluster is to develop the first European ecosystem and one of only 3 in the world.
SCS also hopes to promote on a territorial level the set-up and engineering of collaborative PSPC projects or other regional/European mechanisms in the sector, to generate Industry-first technological advances in the Cluster’s 4 strategic domains, to work on microelectronics, collaborate on 3IA – SAFE-Booster – EducAzur – Inriatech projects and finally, to coordinate the sector in synergy with the local ecosystem.
RECHERCHE ET AVENIR
The Research and Future [Recherche et Avenir] association (REA) is entrusted with offering tailored support for doctors looking for jobs in business within the regional economic fabric through training courses, workshops, round tables, personalised supervision, etc.
Its knowledge of both public and private research makes it an efficient player in University-Company rapprochement initiatives, by placing and facilitating the integration of young doctors in companies within the local economic fabric.
sophia club entreprises
Sophia Club Entreprises coordinates the technology park through its initiatives to enhance company competitiveness and the appeal of the technology park and aims to raise awareness about Sophia among locals, boost the resources of ecosystems, facilitate inter-company technological synergies and cross-fertilisation and organise sporting and cultural events in the technology park (The Sophia Games, thematic seminars, Sophia Live Music etc.). It also centralises and diffuses practical information and the programme of Sophia Antipolis events in real time, as well as proposing a concise presentation of the technology park’s ecosystems.
TELECOM VALLEY
Telecom Valley is a professional non-profit association which brings together Sophia Antipolis’ key players in Information Technologies and Communication. Telecom Valley’s aim is to revitalise the digital industry in the Region, drawing on the network of experienced members of the association and its partners.
Furthermore, in 2014 Telecom Valley launched a FabLab (Fabrication Laboratory – a technological platform making available tools, machines, and expertise for all types of production workshops and digital or traditional prototyping), in partnership with Université Nice Sophia Antipolis and the Pobot association (Sophia Antipolis Robotics Club).
To this end, Telecom Valley is involved with the policy of economic development by helping to support local digital sector companies, sharing sector knowledge and expertise, encouraging student entrepreneurialism and engendering collaborative projects. Moreover, it helps develop the influence and attractivity of the territory by coordinating the Riviera’s digital community and relevant communication initiatives.
TERRA NUMERICA
Terra Numerica builds on projects undertaken by local stakeholders regarding the dissemination of digital science culture with, as its main aim, the creation of a Digital Village. The aim is to respond to the urgent need for comprehension and appropriation of digital sciences by society, to raise awareness and empower people about the major societal issues stemming from it, as well as to develop scientific thinking and to awaken vocations. Terra Numerica hopes to create an original, attractive and unique mechanism for dissemination, sharing, encounters and coexistence between digital stakeholders: researchers, educators-researchers, teachers, members of associations, industrialists, students, pupils, the general public and citizens. It would feature a central location and various branches scattered throughout the territory. (schools, laboratories, media libraries, associations, museums, local authorities, etc.).
SMART VEHICULE COTE D'AZUR
This Sophia Antipolis cluster was launched in 2017 with the aim of coordinating the emergence of a community around connected vehicles. Smart Vehicule Côte d’Azur organises many professional meetings, thus enhancing the vitality of the region and enabling the emergence of the region as a world leader of the automobile industry.
COLLECTIF WHAT 06
The Riviera branch of the Women Hackers Action Tank collective (WHAT06) aims to increase the visibility of women working in the Digital and Technology industries and to incite more women and girls to take an interest in IT engineering.
The WHAT06 collective is a group of fifteen female volunteers who are employees, start-uppers or freelancers mainly working in Tech and striving to introduce as many people as possible (men and women alike) to new technologies.
World Wide Web Consortium
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is a non-profit standards organisation that promotes the compatibility of World Wide Web technologies. The European W3C is based in Sophia Antipolis, as part of Inria. The organisation participates in the development of modern html languages.
Discover a selection
A few Sophia Antipolis companies
air france
The French national airline was one of the first companies to open offices in Sophia Antipolis. The technology park’s IT centre is also the group’s largest data centre.
amadeus
Proposes solutions to the travel industry including airports and travel agents to improve the online customer experience worldwide.
arm
Arm is a world-renowned company specialised in developing processors, which are used today in embedded systems such as telephones and tablets.
ceva
Ceva, a Nasdaq-listed Californian company, is also a specialist in next-generation Bluetooth and wi-fi technologies.
European Society of Cardiology
This organisation brings together 95,000 cardiologists who aim to reduce the impact of cardio-vascular diseases in the European population through various scientific and educational activities.
gsf
One of the largest French groups and a leader in the fields of hygiene and cleanliness, GSF is active on many industrial sites, as well as in more segmented areas such as health and nuclear.
hitachi
A laboratory dedicated to information technologies and communication (mobile communication, security and new-generation networks) named “ICT Lab”. In Sophia Antipolis, Hitachi works with Inria and Eurecom and specialises in connected vehicles and sustainable mobility.
hpe
The American company brings to the table a variety of services which it offers to companies, especially digital transformation solutions linked to security, networks and data storage.
nxp
NXP is a semi-conductor manufacturer, founded in 1967 under the name Philips. It is the tenth largest global company in terms of sales in the field of semi-conductors.
orange
The French telecommunications company is also one of the main operators in Europe. Orange continues to expand its activity with the sale of content and online advertising.
oticon medical
Specialises in innovative hearing technologies and proposes hearing systems and implant systems for people suffering from hearing loss.
RENAULT SOFTWARE LABS
The R&D centre which opened in 2017 in Sophia Antipolis develops software architecture and embedded systems for connected, electric and autonomous vehicles.
sap
The trademark is also an intelligent software for Entreprise Resource Planning companies, enabling the optimisation of processes in different company functions.
sopra steria
Sopra Steria is a corporate digital transformation company offering technological services in parallel with various business-specific software companies.
Thales Defence Systems
Thalès supports governments, international organisations and armed forces by offering solutions helping to protect states — from designing radar systems to advanced sonar technology.
Toyota Europe Design Development
Toyota ED2 is the European design studio for Toyota vehicles, located in Sophia Antipolis. The leading global carmaker chose Sophia-Antipolis technology park in which to transfer its design centre. The ED2 centre (European Design Development) has two missions: collecting and analysing information about the evolution of car design in Europe, and designing and producing models and concept-cars. It is one of Toyota’s four international design centres worldwide.
w3c
In Sophia Antipolis, the European teams of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) are coordinating the technical part of the initiative launched on 15 October last by the organisation responsible for promoting the compatibility of technologies online, in order to integrate payments on the Web more easily.
More companies
Discover a selection
A few Sophia Antipolis start-ups and scale-ups
Cintoo 3D develops cloud solutions for managing (compression, storage and visualisation) reality data: 3D data from capturing the environment in particular via laser scans, helping to reduce the calculation or storage costs of three-dimensional renderings, while maintaining a great amount of detail.
epicnpoc
EPICNPOC transforms marketing visions into prototypes ready for industrialisation in the automotive and mobility sector. Thanks to computer modelling, it allows engineers to transform tests conducted into industrial products.
Feeligreen
FEELIGREEN is a young company developing dermo innovation devices. In particular it develops a range of innovative anti-wrinkle patches which combine microelectronics technology with innovations in the beauty and cosmetics sector.
Flex Fuel Energy
FlexFuel Energy Development is a company specialising in optimising engine performance and consumption. It develops and markets a range of high-performance and recognised products in two fields of expertise: descaling and the conversion to Superethanol-E85.
GO mecano
Go mécano offers a mobile garage to optimise auto repair. It provides a personalised and quick service enabling users of the platform to receive an instant quote online, depending on the type of service required, to choose a mechanic, day, time and place of the appointment.
Grid Pocket
GridPocket takes part in the smart grid revolution and specialises in the development of innovative added value energy services for utility companies. The “white label” value creation platform is designed to create real customer engagement, optimise operational costs and integrate new uses and technologies.
Hysilabs
HySiLabs developed a solution to facilitate hydrogen transport and storage by transporting it in a liquid carrier. The process enables the precious gas to be released on-demand and in only a few seconds.
Izicap
Thanks to its Smart Data platform, Izicap pioneered the analysis and transformation of payment card data into powerful KPIs for merchants, allowing them to run their own activities, launch their own loyalty programmes and efficient digital marketing campaigns.
Key Infuser
Key Infuser designs and develops innovative robotic solutions focused on user experience around “touch technology”. The robot KiOne attracts leads in retail, events and e-commerce, while educating targets: via the robot, the user experiments any digital experience.
kinaxia
KINAXIA develops online software solutions for town planning and more generally, environmental information for players in the real estate transaction chain.
Onhys
ONHYS specialises in the modelling and simulation of pedestrian flows, crowd movements and user behaviour in urban spaces. By connecting BIM technology with Artificial Intelligence, it offers solutions for the exploitation of infrastructures, urban management and event planning.
median technologies
Median is pushing the boundaries of identification, analysis and data sharing in medical imaging, with an onus on cancer.
nicecactus
Nice Cactus (formerly E-Sport Management) designed the first global platform dedicated to managing an e-sport team, enabling users to easily and efficiently manage an amateur, semi-professional or professional team. Players are monitored thanks to a multitude of platforms tailored to their needs.
Silicon Mobility
Silicon Mobility develops a range of circuits and innovative engine control software and uses an architecture of embedded programmable logic cells, to tailor them to the target: the automobile market.
squad
Squad has developed expertise in applications, infrastructure and cybersecurity. After successfully raising funds in 2017 to accelerate its growth, Squad is now planning to acquire one or two cybersecurity firms.
Symphony
A Silicon Valley unicorn, Symphony develops a secured collaboration platform for financial markets.
teach on mars
Teach on Mars is the next generation learning platform connecting people to training courses and to communities, which are essential for improving their work – and better managing their lives.
WildMoka
Wildmoka enables its customers, which mainly include television channels, to enhance and monetise the key moments of their live broadcasts on social networks.
More start-ups
