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Upon its creation, the cluster members determined 3 principal objectives:

• Be a leading European and international combined expertise group, specialized in investigating the civil engineering projects constraints in a complex or extreme environments

• Become a technologically dominant innovative cluster in the field of civil engineering

• Offer comprehensive services for major French and international developers and construction companies who use techniques developed by the cluster Génie Civil.

Advantages

The Nantes-Saint Nazaire region has expertise with a strong global reputation in the field of civil engineering research and studies.  It benefits from an exceptional concentration of heavy industrial equipment and a network of dynamic companies.

The Civil Engineering sector in the Loire Valley region
Companies
•    Around 130,000 active companies (including those on a small scale) which is a little over 7% of the regional active population
•    Public Works Institutions represent a little over 14,000 employees for around 680 companies and a turnover of around € 1.8 billion
Research
•    30% of French public research in civil engineering
•    170 researchers and 65 PhD holders or trainees
•    No. 2 French region with regard to research potential   
Training 
•    Exceptional density of training in connection with civil engineering
•   Training for apprentices, technicians and engineers

- Presence in Nantes of the test platforms necessary for the design of large projects
•    Geotechnical centrifuge, Cable test bench and Driving test track at the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussés (LCPC)
•    Wind-Wave Current Pool at the Ecole Centrale de Nantes
•    Climatic wind tunnel at the Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB)

- Participation in prestigious projects such as the Millau Viaduct, the Stade de France, New York Times Tower etc.

Partners

Over 80 partners of the cluster

Companies over 45 of which 20 are small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
French companies: Bureau Veritas, Socotec, Colas (Bouygues), Sacer Atlantique, Saint-Gobain, Eurovia (Vinci), Soletanche Bachy, Eiffage, Laffarge etc.

International companies: Ciments Calcia (Italy) etc.

Research and Education Institutions

15 centers, including the Université de Nantes, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Nantes, Ecole Supérieure du Bois, Institut Catholique d’Arts et Métiers (ICAM), Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussés, Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment, Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches en Mécanique et Automatismes (CERMA), Centre d’Etudes et de Recherche de l’Industrie du Béton (CERIB) etc.

Over 10 other organizations are also partners of the cluster, including the Fédération Française du Bâtiment (FFB), Fédération Régionale des Travaux Publics (FRTP), Region of the Loire Valley, General Council (county council) of Loire-Atlantic, Nantes Métropole, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Nantes Saint-Nazaire, Autonomous Port of Nantes Saint-Nazaire, Township Committee of Saint-Nazaire and the Estuary (CARENE) etc.

Current R&D Project Partnerships (refer to appendix)

29 projects certified and in the process of certification for a total amount of over 45 million euros

Over 5 million euros granted by by the National Research Agency (Agence Nationale de la Recherche or ANR)
Almost one million euros allocated by the Single Interministerial Fund (Fonds Unique Interministériel or FUI)

International Partnerships

Current
- Partnership with EasyFairs Building Innovations
- Contacts with the Transportation Research Board (TRB), United States
- Partnership with the European Transportation Research Arena in April 2008, Slovenia

Future:
- Participation in the Munich World Motor Show in September 2008
- Participation in the International Road Federation Meeting 2009, Lisbon, Portugal
     

Appendix: Selected certified R&D Projects

• More information on pôle Génie Civil Ouest