Global Business Networking

One of the main reasons for companies to locate in Sophia is the opportunity to collaborate and partner with compatible companies from other countries. In fact, foreign firms account for about one-third of Sophia's growth and represents around 25 percent of its employment. Sophia is host to hundreds of leading international companies including IBM, Texas Instruments, Hewlett Packard, Lucent, Nortel Networks, Thomson Marconi, Amadeus, Siemens, Allergan and many more; representing the most advanced areas of the information and health care technology. Sophia also houses leading profit and non profit organizations such as ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute), whose mission is to produce the telecommunications standards that will be used for decades to come throughout Europe and beyond.

Wide Appeal to International Candidates

Sophia's location is at a true international crossroads, with more than 20% of its population from outside France: Britons, Germans, Italians, Americans, Canadians, Scandinavians are among the 63 nationalities who are present in the Sophia Antipolis technology park. This cosmopolitan environment creates attractive international recruitment possibilities and allows businesses to recruit for substantial growth with highly competent and qualified applicants. Further, the Sophia employment pool represents a high level of educational attainment, with more than 40% in qualified executive positions.

Quality of Life

One can often hear executives and managers in Sophia Antipolis based companies saying that "Sophia Antipolis is a place where the grey matter likes to settle down to stay and prosper ".

Even when the world economy faces a rough ride, Sophia Antipolis has the resources to assure its place at the center of technological advances and to produce new applications, new tools and new forms of business. Not only is a pleasant place to work it is a wonderful place in which to live as well.

Sophia's careful growth development policy includes the allocation of 1500 hectares of "green belt", which consist of parks that are largely open to the public. In addition, Sophia is located just 20 minutes from the beach and about one hour drive to Alpine ski resorts.

Another aspect contributing to its quality of life is easy accessibility to Nice-Cote d'Azur International airport located at less than 22 kilometres of Sophia.

International Schools

Sophia provides international schools to facilitate worldwide recruiting. These schools cater to all levels of education from primary to university. In fact, the French Riviera has a higher density of international schools than any city in France, other than Paris.