France Télécom’s longstanding relationship with Caen began two decades ago, when it joined forces with La Poste to set up a joint electronic banking research department in the city, and it has continued right into the XXIst century, in the shape of an R&D centre employing some 300 people.

This is just one example of how innovation is flourishing in Calvados. Indeed, fostered by effective support structures, new partnerships between manufacturing companies, engineering schools, the university and research centres are now being formed on a virtually daily basis.

Technological research and dissemination

Our county boasts a number of highly efficient regional organizations set up specifically to help private companies take advantage of new technology:

• ANVAR
• ARIST (Regional Agency for Strategic and Technological Information)
• RDT (Technology Dissemination Network)
• TEQ (technology transfer department of the Regional Chamber of Trade)
• CTN (Centre for New Technologies)
• GRAVIR network (Regional Group for Promoting the Industrial Exploitation of Research)
• CRITT BNC
• Basse-Normandie.net portal

From innovation to start-up

State-funded research has had a significant impact in the fields of data processing, agro-bio-industries, electronics and pharmaceuticals.

It has given many existing small and medium businesses an opportunity to develop new products or processes.

Brand-new companies set up to exploit a particularly innovative concept have also been given a jump start, benefiting from specialized infrastructures such as incubators.