Invest in France Agency north-america Office

Microtechniques account for just over 1% of the world market. Its output consists of smart cards, telephones, TV broadcast transmissions, parking meters, satellites, pacemakers, wheels, dashboards and engines for aircraft and vehicles. The products are the interface between man and electronics and the trend is toward miniaturization to save on energy and consolidate functions.

5 major goals of the microtechnology cluster:

• To increase added value business and employment, particularly via exports
• To develop the range of products on offer, from individual parts to more complex units and by embracing new technology
• To develop R&D projects and organize their transfer
• To build relations between small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large industrial concerns
• To promote and strengthen the identity of the cluster by constructing a triangle of microtechnology clusters in Europe.

Advantages

Having been around for over 150 years, the microtechnology industry in Franche-Comté which includes several professions (cutting and stamping, surface treatment, machining and design) has been able to adapt to the changes in technology over recent years.

Microtechnology in Franche-Comté

Industry
393 companies
12,000 jobs

Research   
1.36 billion euros turnover   
688 researchers including 450 in the private sector and 230 in the public sector
5 European and international partnerships
1 technology innovation and transfer center, the Institut Pierre Vernier
1 technology platform (MIMENTO)  

Education
1,150 graduates per year
2 universities
1 engineering college
3 lycées (technical colleges)
4 University Institutes of Technology

Multiple collaboration to set up the “European triangle” for microtechnology
•Minalogic, a cluster of micro and nanotechnology companies in Grenoble
•Arve Industries, Cluses, Haute-Savoie
•The Jura- Switzerland area, in particular the Neuchâtel canton that accounts for 80% of all Swiss microtechnology employees, i.e. 35,000 people

Members

113 members

Companies:  78 of which more than 9% are SMEs
•French companies: Alstom Transport SA, Groupe Mécasem, Groupe S3i, Surfaces Synergie groupe etc.

•International companies: Christian Bernard Group, C&K Components, ERG Transit Systems, Groupe Zimmer etc.

Research and Educational Institutions: 18 centers, including the Institut de Productique, Institut FEMTO-ST, Laboratoire de mécanique Appliquée (LMA), Université de Franche-Comté, Belfort-Montbéliard Technology University, University Institutes of Technology (Instituts Universitaires de Technologie - IUT) of Besançon-Vesoul and Belfort-Montbéliard, Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Mécanique et de Microtechnique (ENSMM) etc.

16 other organizatons are also partners in the cluster in France and Switzerland including the Regional Council of Franche-Comté, the Regional Councils of Jura, Doubs de Haute-Saône and Belfort, Le Pays Horloger, Les Lunetiers du Jura, the Franche-Comté regional development agency, the Chambers of Commerce and Industry for the region and department, Centre Suisse d’Electronique et de Microtechnique (CSEM), Laboratoire Européen Associé en Microtechnique (LEA), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne-Faculté des Sciences et Techniques de l’Ingénieur (EPFL-STI) etc.

Current R&D project partnerships (refer to appendix)

67 projects were certified between 2005 and mid-2008 with a total investment of more than 54 million euros

17.6 million euros provided by public funds, including:
•8.1 million euros granted by the French Government, mainly via the Single Interministerial Fund (Fonds Unique Interministériel or FUI)
•4.3 million euros funded from local authorities

International partnerships

Current:
•Business and research partnerships with Switzerland, namely the Laboratoire Européen Associé en Microtechnique (LEA)
•Research collaboration between Tokyo University, Japan and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) within the Laboratory of Integrated MicroMechatronic Systems (LIMMS)
•Partnership with the district of Thuringia, Germany to promote links between businesses and students specializing in Microtechnology
•Partnership between the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the University of Georgia in Atlanta in the context of the GLT-CNRS Telecom laboratory.

Appendix: Selected certified R&D projects

• More information on Microtechniques cluster