1Project supported by the European Commission

ECREIN Platform in Rhône-Alpes (RA)

Policies and financial instruments dedicated to the first stages of eco-innovation : “research and demonstration”

First workshop in Stuttgart, the 1rst of june 2007

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Summary

I. Key figures for Rhône-Alpes

II. Regional platform

III. Examples of good practices

IV. Working tracks

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Key figures for the Rhône-Alpes Region

Area : 8% of the area of France, 2nd French Region

Population : 6 Millions of Inhab (2006), 2nd French Region

Economy : GDP total : 165 Billions€ (France : 1 700 Bil€)

GDP/Inhab : 28 131 € (France : 27 957 €)

+ 9% of companies setting up between 2003 and 2005

Traditional areas of activity : chemistry, textile, mechanical…Emerging areas in the vanguard of innovation : electronics, computer science, biotechnologies, …

365 000 companies in Rhône-Alpes (91% have less than 10 employees). The medium SMEs (50 employees) employ 45% of the working population.

RA is one of the 15 European

Regions which generate the

most of affluence

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Summary

I. Key figures for Rhône-Alpes

II. Regional platform

III. Examples of good practices

IV. Working tracks

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Regional platform - 25th of April 2007

First meeting - presentation of the ECREIN project

31 persons were present, they represented :• SMEs (chamber of commerce, professional associations…)• Finance (Business angels, venture capital investors, financial

institutions…),• Research (industrial technical centres, development structures)• French institutions (DRIRE, ADEME, OSEO, association of communes,

…)

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Regional platform – 10th of May 2007Implementation of financial instruments for ecoinnovation – Research and demonstration stages

Second meeting – preparation of the workshop

Issues highlighted thanks to this meeting:

o Importance of the public grants during the first stages of innovation,

o Difficulties to commercialize an innovative technology,

o Difficulties to identify the appropriate grant among all the existing one.

o Problem with the human resources in the SMEs (innovation skills often exist but there is not enough time to use them)

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Summary

I. Key figures for Rhône-Alpes

II. Regional platform

III. Examples of good practices

IV. Working tracks

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Grenoble Angels

Goalso Finance new companies,o Create a network of investors and entrepreneurs,o Improve the local economic development,o Create a network with people who help companies at their creation

and during their development.

Reviewo 2004 : Assessment of the RA market potential (carried out by the

chamber of commerce in Grenoble),o May 2005 : creation of Grenoble Angels (15 members)o December 2005 : financing of the 1rst projecto June 2006 : label and financial support from the « Ministry of SMEs…

»o 2007 : 60 members

Explanation for this success : a high economic potential and an efficient partnership with the city and the association of

communes

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Economic activityo Average of the investment per project : 100 000 €o Direct investment in the economic activity of Grenoble : 900 000 €o Success rate : 250 requests

64 set up files 28 pre-

selected files 9

financed files

Place for the environment ?o No specific financing,o 10 “environmental” files are setting up.

Grenoble Angels

Non selected projects still have some advices and

contacts with people of the network

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Floralis

Floralis is a subsidiary company of the University J. Fourier. (authorized capital of 1,5 M€)

Goal : transfer technology from research to marketo Support collaborative research by initiating R&D partnerships with public laboratories and private companies ,

o Supervise the technical and marketing development of innovative technology before initiating their commercialization ,o negotiate the industrial exploitation of new technologies.

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Floralis

Financing examples :Proof of concept (1 to 2 years)

This step requires some funds used to prove the future cost-effectiveness of

the exploitation.Capital investment: 100 to 200 k€ (Contracts, Valorisation funds of the UJF,public funds : National agency for research, Region)

Business unit (3 to 6 months)Concerns technologies mature enough to be available on the market in a short time frame (3 to 6 months). Floralis develops a business unit, which provides a specific service or product that Floralis manufactures and sells .

Advantage : Floralis ensures the financial risk (often very high).

When the company is set up, they already have one or two profit and loss form.

Allow job

creation

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Adaptability of an existing financial instrument Network technological benefit (=PTR)

Descriptiono Incentive grant for a technological innovation (managed by Oseo

and RA ),o Intervention of technological provider to help SMEs to implement

their innovative project.

Financed actionso Creation of a new product,o Feasibility studieso Industrial property (Apply for a first patent),o Products development : try, calculation, economic model, …

Amount of granto Grant ceiling: 75% of the estimateo Grant maximum : 5 000 € plusVAT

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Adaptability of an existing financial instrument Network technological benefit (=PTR)

Beneficiaryo SMEs with less than 250 employees

Advantageso Speed : 1 week of waiting period o Flexibility : the grant is directly paid to the providero Release effect : 200 PTR per year, 3/10 have another grant after to

continue their project.

Desired evolutiono Develop this kind of grant by allowing the ecoinnovative projects to

apply for such a grant.

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Summary

I. Key figures for Rhône-Alpes

II. Regional platform

III. Examples of good practices

IV. Working tracks

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Working tracks

Recurring problems :o Difficulties to identify the appropriate grant,o Need for a guide.

Working track: the innovation Gate CCInnovation (CCI of Lyon and its partners)

o One counter,o Simplifying of the procedure : spare time and money,o Easier access the the investors network, o Specialized advisers

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