Sophia Antipolis - Europe's premier Science and Technology Park
Non stop Innovation
Launched in 1969, the Scientific Park of Sophia-Antipolis is located on 5,750 acres, 2/3 of which are maintained as an open countryside of greeenery and woods.
It has imposed itself as the leading European location for companies and research centers involved in all fields of innovation, without restriction. For over 40 years, Sophia Antipolis has attracted the greatest names in industrial innovation, with engineers and reserarchers from around the world involved in the main high-tech sectors: micro-electronics, telecommunications, software, life sciences and biotechnology, as well as earth and environmental sciences.
Sophia Antipolis offers an exceptional natural environment, combining office areas with close-by leisure facilities and living accomdation, as well as shops and services.
An expression of the Côte d'Azur's unique economic expansion , Sophia Antipolis has become a world-renowned geostrategic location, home to more than 1,300 companies from start-ups to multinationals (Alcatel, Amadeus, Cisco, Infineon, NXP, Thalès, Toyota, Siemens, and more), including 3 companies with 30,000 employees, 4,000 researchers and over 5,000 students.
This oustanding site benefits from the Côte d'Azur's easy access to the Nice Côte d'Azur International Airport , its multicultural population, and the presence of major research institutes (INRA, INRIA, CNRS, INSERM), renowned institutes of higher education, as well as the Nice Sophia Antipolis. University.
Today, Sophia Antipolis has succeded in creating an "international community of wisdom, science and technology" just as Senator Pierre Lafitte dreamed of at the start.
Sophia Antipolis: sharp increase in demand.
We are seeing a constant rise in transactions of office space
in Sophia Antipolis: volumes have doubled over the past
three years, reaching 33,000 m2 in 2006. Large scale deals are also on the come-back: in 2006, 10,000 m2 involved deals of 2,000 m2 or more.
New demand has grown strongly: businesses were looking
for nearly 50,000 m2 of office space in Sophia Antipolis in
2006, representing 50% of total expressed demand in the
Côte d’Azur. For the Alpes-Maritimes department, one out of three newly
arriving businesses settles in the Science and Technology Park.
The STIC Campus project: the University of the 3rd millennium
Objective: to bring together key academic and industry players in the IT sector within Europe's premier Science and Technology Park.
The goal of this structural project is, first and foremost, to encourage collaboration between different actors and develop synergies in the Information Technology sector:- Pedagogical synergies
through exchanges of professors and instructors, the creation of common masters degrees, etc. - Scientific synergies
through common research programs and collaboration with the world of industry via a policy of project creation and incubation that drives tomorrow’s cross-fertilization.
through common research programs and collaboration with the world of industry via a policy of project creation / incubation that drives tomorrow’s cross-fertilization.
A real estate development along the lines of the Anglo-Saxon campus.
Joining together two engineering schools in Sophia Antipolis, in addition to the presence of INRIA, the French National Institute of Computer Science, and the University computer science department (IUT), all foreshadow what the future campus will become - nestled in the green surroundings of Sophia Antipolis-St Philippe area.
IT researchers and engineers of tomorrow will be able to study in close proximity of the giants of telecommunications and microelectronics. Situated in the heart of Sophia Antipolis, the campus will be built on a 14-hectare site acquired by the Alpes-Maritimes General Council which is in charge of the project.
Tomorrow’s engineers and researchers will benefit from the technology park’s unique environment of innovative Telecom and IT companies. The STIC campus will bring together top engineering schools – Eurécom, GET, ESSI, ESINSA - and the IUT (University computer science program), as well as INRIA (National Institute of Computer Science) research teams. The architect’s goal is to create a feeling of community between the different actors, with a large pedestrian pathway linking the separate entities.
The project features a prestigious reception area with a 350-seat amphitheater to accomodate international seminars and conferences. The site will also include shared research facilities with an incubator and a GIS lab, as well as a library and sports facilities. This large scale project is estimated at a cost of €40 million.
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Team Côte d'Azur is a joint initiative of the Alpes-Maritimes county council |
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