Invest in France Agency international Office

Access to the region is convenient, with 2 international airports (Bâle-Mulhouse and Strasburg) and the proximity of Zurich, Frankfurt and Luxemburg. The high speed train TGV also links Alsace to Paris (currently 2:20h, 1:50h in 2012), which will be extended to Germany, as well as Lyon & Mediterranean. At the heart of this privileged European zone, Alsace provides an attractive business environment, and offers the 2nd highest rates of GDP per head of population outside the Ile-de-France region (107.8% of average GDP per head of population in the EU 27).

Alsace is a particularly innovative region. It is the 2nd leading region outside Ile-de-France in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, accounting for 5% of total patents registered, and it also ranked among the top three regions for scientific publications. Alsace is also the 3rd leading region for the number of European patents resulting from private research. The headquarters of the international “Alsace BioValley” cluster are located in Alsace. Two other national clusters are organized in collaboration with other French regions: the “Vehicle of the Future” cluster (automotive) and the “Great Eastern Natural Fibers” cluster (wood, paper and textile). Other industrial excellence platforms include textiles, chemicals, materials, sustainable energy and energy efficiency (Energivie), plastics, agro-food, ITC, photonics (Rhenaphotonics) and imaging technology (Iconoval).

There are 4 universities and top-level engineering and business schools “Grandes Ecoles” located in the Alsace region, with approximately 65,000 students. Foreign students account for 21% of the total student population and are specialized in doctorate studies.

Finally, Alsace is a highly international region: Strasbourg is the 2nd most important diplomatic center in France after Paris; the headquarters of around 20 European Institutions and 75 international organizations and consular offices are situated in the area.
Given its proximity to Germany, a high percentage of the workforce in Alsace is bilingual (17% of the population in Alsace speak German compared to the national average of 2%), or even trilingual, and are considered by the business community to have an international reputation for efficiency and dedication to their work.

Alsace is a prime investment location for international investors. Alsace is the leading region for exports per head of population, with foreign companies achieving an exportation rate of 47.5%, which is significantly higher than the national average (32%). Over one out of five employees work for an international company. In industry, this figure is approximately 45%, or the highest rate in France. The major investors in Alsace are Germany, Switzerland and North America.