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Phase 6 Manifesto: A Self-Reliant Industry Through Competitiveness Clusters
For more than twenty years, competitiveness clusters have been one of the most influential instruments of French industrial and innovation policy. They embody a unique model of public-private partnership, in which businesses, academic institutions, and public agencies collaborate to accelerate innovation and strengthen national competitiveness.
By 2026, the 53 competitiveness clusters will bring together 20,000 members, including 18,000 companies (80% of which are SMEs) and 2,500 research and training centers. More than 1,000 employees help bridge the gap between companies, laboratories, local authorities, and funders to transform knowledge into economic, industrial, and regional value. More than 1,000 projects emerge and are certified each year.
At the end of Phase 5, amid geopolitical tensions and heightened competition, they serve as a strategic lever for sovereignty and reindustrialization, at the heart of France’s economic priorities.
This represents more than 55 billion euros in public and private funds mobilized and invested over 20 years.
Key Figures
- 25%: of startups are connected to at least one competitiveness cluster.
- 69%: while 41% of French startups and SMEs are located in the Île-de-France region, more than two-thirds of the cluster ecosystem is spread across other regions.
- 1.3X: companies linked to clusters create 1.3 times more jobs than the average.
- 2X: Startups and SMEs linked to clusters are twice as connected to clients.
- 2.4X: Startups and SMEs linked to clusters have raised 2.4 times more funding than the average startup.
- +25%: This is the growth in the workforce of startups linked to clusters over the past three years.
Source: Motherbase study for the PSAC – November 2025
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