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A national highlight for the innovation ecosystem
On December 4, the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty hosted the 20th anniversary celebration of the Competitiveness Clusters, bringing together the entire national innovation ecosystem: competitiveness clusters, innovative French companies, investors, and institutional players. This event, organized at the initiative of the Directorate-General for Enterprise (DGE) and the French Association of Competitiveness Clusters (AFPC), provided an opportunity to look back on two decades of structural actions in support of the economic and technological development of the regions.
The strategic role of clusters and a reinforced certification charter
The opening session, led by Orianne Chenain, Head of Competitiveness, Innovation, and Business Development at the DGE, and Christian Deleuze, President of the AFPC, highlighted the strategic role of competitiveness clusters in structuring industrial sectors, supporting innovative companies, and strengthening French competitiveness.
The presentations also highlighted the importance of the new charter for certifying clusters, which was revised at the start of Phase 5 at the request of the State and the Regions and is now fully operational. Initial results confirm its effectiveness, particularly in the context of the France 2030 initiatives, where certified projects have significantly higher success rates than non-certified projects.
A European perspective on scaling up
The event also featured a presentation by Michiel Scheffer, representative of the European Innovation Council (EIC), who outlined the European vision for industrial innovation, as well as the EIC's tools and ambitions to support the scaling up of innovative companies.
Financing and industrialization: discussions at the heart of the issues
Two thematic round tables then provided an opportunity to explore the issues related to the financing and industrialization of innovation in greater depth.
The first focused on the conditions for scaling up innovative companies and the investment levers necessary for their development, with the participation of representatives from companies, large groups, and investment funds.
The second was devoted to the specificities of investing in innovative industrial companies, addressing in particular development cycles, CAPEX requirements, and risk factors, through feedback from industrial, financial, and institutional players. All discussions were moderated by renowned moderators, contributing to the quality and depth of the debates.
Networking and B2B meetings: qualified connections
In addition to the conference sessions, the event included a B2B meeting program and a networking cocktail reception, promoting both informal exchanges and targeted meetings between innovative companies and investors. This combination of networking and qualified connections illustrates the ability of competitiveness clusters to create an environment conducive to the emergence and development of high-potential projects.
Polymeris mobilized alongside its members
In this context, Polymeris is delighted that five of its members—bobine, POLYLOOP, Écollant, THE 8 IMPACT, and Enchanted Tools—were selected to take part in the investor meetings. Polymeris also provided and managed the b2match platform, enabling the pre-selected companies to efficiently organize their discussions with the investors in attendance.
Two decades of collective action and enhanced prospects
This celebration of 20 years of competitiveness clusters, organized in Bercy alongside the French government, is a key moment to highlight the collective work accomplished over two decades and to reiterate the importance of public support in continuing this momentum. It fully illustrates the relevance of the Clusters model, based on cooperation, the structuring of sectors, and support for innovation throughout the country.
Polymeris reaffirms its commitment to supporting its members in securing private funding, particularly through the hi France program, in order to strengthen their visibility, strategic connections, and financing opportunities, in the service of competitive and sustainable industrial innovation.
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