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They choose Northern France, The Lille Region
The Lille region
Nord-Pas de Calais : Territory & infrastructure
Northern France and regional capital Lille are at the center of a consumer market with a population of 100 million. Within easy reach of decision-making centers including Paris, Brussels, London, Amsterdam and Frankfurt, the region combines a strategic geographical location with outstanding transport infrastructure-the densest network of multi-lane highways in Europe, high-speed rail services, the Channel tunnel, two major international airports nearby (Roissy Charles de Gaulle, Bruxelles-Zaventem) and proximity to Antwerp and Rotterdam, the world’s largest port-to offer quick, flexible access to the richest markets in Northwestern Europe and to the world.
Nord-Pas de Calais : A land of research and innovation
Nowadays, we have all come to believe that innovation and R&D are strategic issues. Sources of profitability and competitiveness are the essential components for company growth in a world economy.
This trend requires certain unavoidable qualities from all those parties involved: reactivity, flexibility, adaptability, ability to train, to invest, select and appropriate outside knowledge, as well as to carry out steps on a partnership basis, both in France and beyond its frontiers. The information economy is now under way and nothing more can stop it.
Very soon, the region of Nord-Pas de Calais will plunge straight into this new era. In order to increase its performance, it focussed on economic development – human capital, research and innovation. At the same time, its geo-strategic location is an undeniable advantage, just as its regional policies are becoming more and more determined with respect to research and innovation. A policy that allows the players to unite around a real, shared ambition.
Hence, the region Nord-Pas de Calais has large, internationally recognised laboratories and research institutes, which attract researchers from throughout the world and help establish efficient partnerships. The region has six clusters of competitiveness geared towards research and development at national and/or world level and 11 clusters of excellence, complementing the former, which are mainly geared towards providing support and assistance to companies.
Key statistics
An economically powerful region
- A privileged geographical location
- 4 million inhabitants
- 4th largest economic region in France
- 97,000 companies
- 91 billion Euro GDP
- 1st region to welcome foreign investment accrued since 1993
- 3rd exporting region in France
- Between 2002 and 2008 the number of business start ups in Nord-Pas de Calais increased by 67%
- Lille has been ranked as the 11th European and 1st French city in terms of entrepreneur’s satisfaction with the business environment (source : The 2009 ECER-Banque Populaire Ranking)
- 689 businesses with 50 or more employees have headquarters in the region, while 77 businesses with 500 or more employees have headquarters here
- The Lille area boasts the 3rd largest business property market in France, with commercial property rates among the most competitive in Europe
- The region is at the epicentre of the largest concentration of consumers in Europe, with 100 million people living within a radius of 300 km
Dynamic research and innovation
- 6 competitiveness clusters
- 11 regional centres of excellence
- 7,700 researchers and research professors
- 156,000 students
- 3,000 doctoral candidates
- 1,800 research masters awarded each year
- 6 State universities and 1 private university
- 23 engineering and businesses schools
- 10% of French engineers graduate from the Nord-Pas de Calais region’s engineering colleges
- 300 private and public research laboratories
- 5.6% of national patents filed with the European Patent Office
