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Sophia Antipolis, the "Telecom Valley" hub, is located
on the French Riviera. As the name implies, IT and telecom are the
basis of the activities in the Telecom Valley. Apart from IT and
telecom there are several companies in the sectors of health care
and bio-tech and other science areas:
- IT and Communications Technologies
- Health Science, Fine Chemistry, Biotechnology
- Higher Education, Research & Development
- Innovation and Creativity
Information technologies
The IT industry has been fundamental to the expansion of Sophia
Antipolis and it represents its greatest number of enterprises.
The growth of this sector has been due to the professional environment,
talent from higher educational institutions, local research and
development activity, and the presence of numerous well-recognized
organizations, such as Accenture, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, among
many others. Areas of expertise encompass designing interfac design
for PCs, integrating workstations, networking, LAN and WAN engineering,
development, distribution and database management, development and
integration of software applications.
Network and Telecommunications
The setting up of ETSI (European Telecommunications Standard Institute)
and its location is evidence of the importance of Sophia Antipolis
in the field of networking and telecommunications. European standards
for telecommunications are developed at ETSI.
There are many others firms involved in the development and integration
of communications equipment and software such as: Lucent Technologies,
Nortel Networks and SITA.
 Multimedia
Dozens of small companies have found all the right ingredients
to blossom in Sophia Antipolis. Examples of expertise include 3D
image processing, interactive audio and video CD design, and multimedia
database software development.
Electronics
Sophia Antipolis is host to many diverse technologies: development
of components for telecommunications, medical or military applications,
the design of optical and acoustic devices and of electro-mechanical
systems, robotics and home automation. Thomson Marconi Sonar is
an important employer in the park; sonars and radar equipment are
its leading products. Schneider Automation, Cadence, Rockwell, SAP
and Siemens are also conspicuously prominent in the science park.
Health-Care Science, fine chemicals and biotechnology
Emerging growth sectors in Sophia include companies that are particularly
involved in R&D programmes within the areas of immunology, genetics,
dermatology, pharmacy, biochemistry and medical imaging. Allegran,
Galderma research and development, N.M.T. Neurosciences, Rohm &
Haas and Rhone Poulenc are major companies in the sector.
Earth Science
The Earth science includes in-depth analysis of certain sectors
of the environment such as: earthquake studies which employs high
level researchers.
Research
Pure and applied research accounts for some 4000 researchers over
approximately fifty public and private establishments. Many of the
laboratories located in Sophia Antipolis enjoy world-wide reputation
in fields as varied as robotics, artificial intelligence and natural
sciences. Many of these institutions have a very strong presence
in Sophia Antipolis and represent the pinnacle of French research
including CNET, CNRS, INRA and INRIA.
Higher Education
High and post-graduate education and training establishments cater
to over 3000 students. Their programmes of study are congruent with
the high-tech emphasis of Sophia Antipolis. Especially well represented
fields are: applied mathematics, information technology, telecommunications,
automation, economics and management.
Sophia's educational establishments include Université de Nice Sophia
Antipolis, école Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris, école
Supérieure en Sciences Informatiques, ESINSA, Eurecom Institute,
Theseus Institute and the CERAM group.
Associations
There are several different clubs and networks in Sophia Antipolis.
To mention only a few: Database Forum Club, Sophia Start up, Executive
Club and Club High Tech.
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