Invest in France Agency nordic-countries Office

Cluster members have 3 main objectives:

• To develop the R&D capabilities of the industries specializing in sports and leisure equipment

• To innovate and thus strengthen their leadership roles and their competitive edge.

• To gain an attractive global reputation

Three strategic themes:
• Environment and Eco-Design
• Standardization
• Health and Well-Being

Advantages

- The Rhone-Alps region is the No. 1 French region in the Sports and Leisure industries

- Numerous fields of excellence in the industry including:

• Winter Sports (Salomon, Rossignol etc.)
• Mountain climbing and other Outdoor Sports (Quechua, Petzl, Lafuma, Babolat, Thuasne etc.)
• Cycling (Mavic etc.)
• Manufacturing and Distribution (Décathlon etc.)

Sports and Leisure in the Rhone-Alps
Companies and Jobs   
- More than 50% of French labor potential:
- 4,000 direct employees with 300 companies and 15,000 indirect employees
50% of the worldwide sales of winter sports
Research    
- The greatest concentration of research centers:
- 21 laboratories 
Training
- The greatest concentration of training centers:
- 4 engineering schools and universities

Members

48 members in mid-2008
Companies: 29
   
• French companies: Babolat, Chomarat, Decathlon R&D - Quechua - Wed’Ze of the Oxylane Group, Ganzoni, Gerflor, Lafuma, Millet, Payen, Petzl, Tecmachine Subsidiary of the HEF Group, Thuasne etc.

• International companies: BlueStar Silicones (China), Gibaud, subsidiary of the Ossur Group (Iceland), Mavic - Salomon Skis, subsidiary of AmerSport (Finland), Nike, Richard Frères, subsidiary of Lohmann Rauscher (Germany), Rossignol, subsidiary of Macquarie (Australia) etc.

• Small and mid-sized enterprises (SME): Alpex, Ceres Control, Cevres Health, I-NOVA, Pygmalyon, Raidlight, Sofileta, Soleus, Sveltus.

Research and Education Centers

- 14 centers including: Sports Research and Innovation (CRIS), Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), CTC, Saint-Étienne School of Mines, French Institute of Textiles and Clothing (IFTH), Lyon National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA), ISTASE, Lyon Institute of Textiles and Chemistry (ITECH), Lyon University 1, University of the Mediterranean, Savoie University, Compiègne University of Technology, Jean Monnet de Saint-Étienne University, Joseph Fourier de Grenoble University etc.

- 5 other organizations are also cluster members including: Savoie Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), Savoie General Council, French Federation of Skiing, Alpespace Park Activities, Pays Voironnais.

R&D Project Partnerships (refer to appendix)

- 13 projects were approved between 2006 and the end of 2007 for a total investment of close to 13 million euros 

- Public support examples:
•Close to 500,000 euros granted by the Inter-ministerial Unique Fund (Fonds Unique Interministériel or FUI) between 2005 and 2007
•Over one million euros allocated by the National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche or ANR) in 2007

International Partnerships

Current:
- Participation in the ISPO exhibition (annual international exhibition for the sports market industry), Munich, Germany
- Participation in the Outdoor exhibition (European exhibition of outdoor leisure, Friedrichshafen, Germany

Future:
- Organization of economic missions in growing markets
- Attracting purchasers and foreign organizations

Appendix: Selected certified R&D Projects

• More information on Sporaltec