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OCOVA and the Hautes Alpes for win-win cooperation solutions
The OCOVA forum (Communicating Objects, Identity and Value Creation) held its 4th edition on September 13, 2007 in the attractive site of the Charance castle in Gap, the capital of Hautes-Alpes, in the heart of the Alps-Mediterranean Euro region. This year, the international aspect was emphasised with discussions on the theme: "Communicating Solutions for health and multi-application solutions in services to the individual." According to Christine Lagarde, the Minister for economy, finances and employment, "This forum is a venue where prospects of the sector are discussed and good practices for implementing innovation are exchanged…"
By Philippe Leger
Her message was read to the forum participants by David Emond, the adviser for competitiveness, attractiveness and research clusters. Despite a tight schedule, David Emond came to Gap; a form of recognition and homage paid to the OCOVA forum. The organiser Pierre Vollaire, vice-president of ARCIS, the association which created this pioneering event in 2004, was delighted with his presence.
The 2007 edition strengthened international presence with the participation of Torino Wireless, the telecommunications cluster of the Italian Piémont; the German cluster of Rhineland of North-Westphalia "Innovative Industrial System Integration" (RFID, wireless sensors, mechatronics…); of the SIIT of Genoa (innovating solutions for Mobility, Health, Safety…); of VTT Finland; of the Tunisian cluster of El Gazala (first centre of communication technologies for North Africa), and also representatives of neighbouring Switzerland. SCS (Secured Communicating Solutions PACA) and Minalogic (Grenoble-Isère micro-nanotechnologies) which account for two of the three major micro-electronics and telecommunications clusters of our Euro region (the third being Torino Wireless) were also present.
In all, nearly 150 players responded to the invitation of the SCS global competitiveness cluster, ARCIS and its partners.
This year, emphasis was put on topics related to identification, authentication, access control, identity applications (ticketing, multi-application and micro payment) in the communicating solutions for community services (health, education, transport, public services…) for urban
communities.
The presentations by CEA-Leti, Fraunhofer RNW, VTT (Finland), FING in the Active Identity and Ville 2.0 related to the technological breakthroughs and barriers, market trends and usages. The SCS cluster dealt more particularly with Identity themes (new solutions for identification and authentication) and Connectivity (urban wireless networks and communicating objects).
A greater
international
dimension
for the forum
The forum has expanded its European dimension, and for the first time a Euro-Mediterranean opening is witnessed with the participation of El Ghazala, the technological cluster of Tunisia. El Ghazala is in full expansion and has just joined a consortium pooling the techno-clusters of Sfax and Sousse, a pool which has recently signed an agreement with the SCS cluster. "This agreement, according to Pierre Vollaire, has an international dimension which allows "benchmarking" other clusters, assessing possibilities of setting up projects with others clusters and players. It is part of a strategy of opening on the technological clusters in the world, in a networking concept." Adviser David Emond is delighted with the strategy. According to him, "International development is one of the main concerns of the competitiveness clusters, right from the start… Out of the 71 clusters in our country, a good level for France, 17 clusters have international missions." He gives the example of the "Secured Communicating Solutions" cluster of the Paca region, "sharing borders with Italy, the Mediterranean sea, and which offers possibilities in the Maghreb region."
Winning dynamics which will gain
importance
According to Pierre Vollaire, "the idea of the OCOVA forum, a full one-day program, is to connect people and have the clusters work from there. It is the role of the SCS cluster, the coordinating commission which it belongs to, the international relations, to coordinate the networks, attempting to set up projects after the forum." The OCOVA forum, though it only lasts one day, maintains a dynamics which could gain importance especially… if the Hautes-Alpes drive this splendid Alps-Mediterranean Euro region. According to Pierre Vollaire, "the projects could be about increasing the value of communicating objects relating to sectors like tourism, services to individuals … multi-applications in urban environment…" Indeed! Here are beautiful cards to play in the years to come. The Hautes Alpes are ideally placed at the centre of a Euro region pooling the Rhône-Alpes and Piémont (two engines of Europe!), PACA, which connects it more directly to Euro-Mediterranean dimension… and let us not forget our Swiss associates! They offer many advantages to companies which have settled here as also to those seeking a site where to establish their premises. This is an exceptional territory which has an active and enterprising labour force. However, and this is where the shoe pinches, they do not have SMEs of sufficient size to attack the international market. It is not an alpine characteristic, it is a French, endemic and pernicious issue.
France makes its honey from these bees
What is the first French enterprise? The craft industry, as we are all aware: It is advertised on TV! However, there is nothing to be proud of. Half the French companies do not have any paid employee! This does not mean that their managers are all craftsmen. They can be employed in other companies, if they do not work… in the public service.
SMEs of less than 50 salaried employees represent 99% of the companies and 55% of employment; to better define this reality, the TPE category (very small companies) was created: less than 10 employees. Nearly 90% of the French companies are TPEs (2.2 million companies) and they employ 3.5 million people, which makes them first creators of employment and wealth … France makes its honey from these bees.
SMEs account for 10 to 499 paid employees. The limit between small and large companies varies depending on the European countries; hence this classification is likely to be modified: the European Union considers a company as "large" if it employs more than 250 people, which corresponds to a more representative threshold. In France, the small structures are still the true engine of the economy. However, to take a lead in the world market, there size is the issue.
For the Hautes-Alpes, Pierre Vollaire proposes "that one approaches other players to create SMEs of respectable size, more than a hundred people… Why not with ARD - multi-application of communicating objects, he asks? A company of 36 people, 25 years old, in good health, that wishes to develop…"
Much potential… but the global level is high
He comments that in France, "The culture of clusters, projects, multi-partners, innovation is at a relatively low level. Except for the "spin-ups" of the large groups and others, SMEs still need to climb an important "step"… Admittedly, he concedes, the effort made is far from being negligible; but things go fast and strong! There are opportunities to concretise on the field. There is money … particularly the money from Europe, even though he recognizes that these funds are not all mobilised yet. There is OSEO, there is the State, the region… but it should be known that financing by the State and communities is just inciting. It is thus necessary to mobilise private financing… and also to know that one progresses very strongly on industrial culture. There is no shortage of "venture capital" for project holders. As for private investors, there is much potential, but good projects should be presented. We are in a world competition; the threshold is very high…"
The geographical expansion of the Ocova forum will make it possible to lay the foundations for projects, partnerships, and businesses on a European scale as well as prospects for financing innovation development. However, it is precisely the innovation, and more specifically "industrial innovation which is at the heart of government policy", as emphasised by the adviser David Emond.
Innovation is the key to success
"Vis-à-vis a world competition on the goods markets as also increasingly on the services markets, we must emphasize our assets, among which: the quality of our initial education, the technological and scientific excellence of our universities, our laboratories and our companies. Innovation is the key to success for French companies. Our products and services can be different by being ahead in the competition and thus attract talents and businesses. This innovation bet is shared by our European partners; Lisbon aims to devote 3% of the GDP to Research and Development, including two thirds for the private sector. In France, we are still far from this objective: with 2.14% devoted to R & D, our move towards progress is significant. It is not public R&D that is lacking but that of private R&D". The policy of the government is thus to help, to assist companies in research projects. It is articulated around three areas of focus: an attractive and incentive based taxation; giving priority to projects resulting from the business world and supporting networking. Our country has 71 clusters, a good level for France, says the adviser. According to him, "the launching of competitiveness clusters has boosted a remarkable dynamics in the mobilisation of State means but also local initiatives which have appeared and are
collaborating…"
Pause
in the accreditation
of the clusters
Even if clusters all over the world have begun forming partnerships, the international aspect has not yet developed at the level of the competitiveness clusters… 17 clusters out of 71, the result is rather poor, it seems. But David Emond is optimistic: "The competitiveness clusters have been looking into questions of organisation, which is quite natural, when they were created; they started by learning how to work together, to network training, research, businesses with the authorities and the communities. It was necessary in each territory that people meet, set up the governance of the cluster, identify strategic areas of focus, major priorities, and respond to calls for R&D projects …" Let us agree with him that this is rather new in France! In this first step, the authorities attempted to help the clusters to set up, to start financing R & D projects. This very first phase has taken time; it is over now for the majority of the clusters. "We now must move on to a second phase, which can require different tools… and a different role on the part of the State and the communities." This is another issue which must be addressed: what do the clusters require to develop? How should our policy adapt to make it completely effective? … The list is not exhaustive. The essential aspect to bear in mind: not to disperse energy, not to dilute the actions. "The clusters must start to function and bear fruit, this is why the Prime Minister decided to suspend the accreditation of any new cluster. We must focus all our efforts and tools on those which already exist so that they develop, achieve their goals as regards strengthening of our competitiveness, excellence, creation of employment and incentives. We have to now analyse, cluster by cluster, the accomplishments of these past years and select the good practices."
Man is the only wealth
We need to define, strengthen and expand the dynamics of success in its three dimensions: international development; management of competences: "Man is the only wealth" the adviser recalls, referring strongly and with elegance to an aphorism of Jean Bodin (French economist and philosopher of the Renaissance); and finally, real estate: "experience shows that grouping in a single location competences and different trades creates cross fertilisations, promoting informal relations which play an important role in the innovation process."
The win-win process
For the government, competitiveness clusters must be remarkable melting pots to strengthen France's attractiveness. Foreign investors should be attracted towards France. Is the control of a technology (even of a market) enough to ensure the perenniality or the independence of our companies? No, as proven by the example of a splendid French company of the Grenoble region buyed out by the Americans because French companies did not come forward for assistance! (Ambitions Sud International - No. 59.). France had financed most of the training, the research… And others came to collect what we had sown with our own means, to replant elsewhere than on our premises. The size of a company, even to survive at the local level, becomes an important challenge with globalisation. Finding partners in the European or Euro-Mediterranean space thus proves to be a vital need, at all levels. In order to achieve this famous "Win-Win" in harmony, innovation cannot be circumvented, but it is also necessary to know how to multiply exchanges and co-operations. This is the lesson we will retain from this 4th Ocova forum. n