Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the creation of two main agencies dealing with innovation: ANR and OSEO
Innovation in 2005. Other initiatives are the promulgation of the Pact for Research
in 2006 and the Law for the Autonomy and Responsibilities of Universities in
2007, the elaboration of the National Strategy for Research and Innovation in
2009, the establishment of the broad outlines of the new French Industrial Policy
announced in May 2010. In January 2012, the French Government released the
Investments for the Future Program: Fonds National d'Amorçage (FNA) which
was set up to provide capital to companies developing innovative technologies that
generate competitive advantages, jobs, and economic activity.
The ANR is responsible for allocating financial support for basic and applied
research. The goal of the ANR is to stimulate the emergence and performance of
research projects by participating in competition projects for funding. The Agency
has four main programs to support innovation: RIB program (Réseau Innovation
Biotechnologies—Biotechnology Innovation Network), PRECCOD program
(Environmental Technologies and sustainable Development), Biotecs program
(Biotechnologies); and RNTL program (Réseau National des Technologies Log-
icielles—National network for software technology).
OSEO was founded by the fusion of the Agence Nationale de Valorisation de la
Recherche (ANVAR) with the SME Development Bank. OSEO Innovation is a
private agency but is part of a public body under the authority of the Ministry of
Economy, Finance, and Employment, and the Ministry for Higher Education and
Research. Being the major actor for SMEs innovation in France, OSEO pursues
three main areas of activity with one aim in common, helping entrepreneurs to take
risks through: (i) innovation support and funding for innovative technology-based
projects with real marketing prospects; (ii) funding investments and the operating
cycle alongside the banks and financial institutions; and (iii) guaranteeing funding
granted by banks and equity capital investors. One of the famous programs of
OSEO is the Strategic Industrial Innovation (ISI) program. The program supports
collaborative industry-oriented innovations, implemented by academic institutions
together with medium-sized companies (less than 5,000 employees) and SMEs
(less than 250).
1
Besides the above-mentioned programs, the French government has also
implemented several measures to promote and sustain the creation of growth of
innovative SMEs, such as the National Contest of Support to the Creation of
Innovative Technological Entreprises (Concours National d'Aide à la Création
d'Entreprises de Technologies Innovantes), Young Innovative Enterprises (Jeune
Entreprise
Innovante—JEI),
Young
University
Enterprises
(Jeune
Entreprise
1
At the European level, OSEO innovation participates in several European Programmes and
Networks: FP7 (OSEO is NCP SMEs for France and active member of the French NCP Energy/
Environment consortium), EUREKA and the new transnational initiative Eurostars, ERA-Nets,
INNO-Nets (OSEO coordinates the Innet project with 18 partners), aiming at strengthening the
SMEs in technology clusters in Europe and OSEO is WP leader for the Competitiveness and
Innovation Programme 2007 to2013. KIS-PIMS project (Knowledge Intensive Services in the
field of Renewable Energy).
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