Living Labs Europe

Sophia Antipolis mobile cluster today hosts more than 400 companies in the mobile & wireless industry. The high-tech profile has always been a predominant feature, and with only 12,000 inhabitants there are very few end-users in the area itself â€“ and the regional context as a host of user-centric activities has not yet been exploited.

Sophia Antipolis itself hosts 25 research centres, benefits from the proximity of the six universities within the region and 1,200 IT companies within the Côte d'Azur area. It is considered to be an important site for telecommunications research and development in France. Activities for nurturing the local cluster are intense - it is indeed the premise of the technology park. About 10 % of the tech firms located in Sophia Antipolis are foreign, providing a natural basis for international networking. This cluster strategy has yielded some very encouraging results. While the number of patents stays at an average, the impressive number of mobile and technology start-up per 100,000 inhabitants is unrivalled by the other Living Lab cities.

The importance of public-private partnerships is well recognised in Sophia Antipolis and there are several large-scale projects underway in the telecommunication sector. Cutting edge high-technological competence is abundant and all levels of venturing can be found in the region. Located in a region reaching 4.5 million inhabitants, but also receiving a large influx of mobile tourists every season along the Côte d'Azur, it presents a huge unexploited market.

Jean-François Carrasco
jean-francois.CARRASCO@unice.fr
Prof. Serge Miranda
Serge.MIRANDA@unice.fr
UNSA, Bat. IUT
650 Route des Colles
F-06560 Valbonne
Sophia Antipolis
France
Tel +33 497 1552 22

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mClusters Sophia-Antipolis Presentation.pdf

MRI Sophia-Antipolis.pdf

mWatch Sophia-Antipolis 2006.pdf

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