Montpellier is one of France's foremost cities in terms of its focus on research and education, with 60,000 students, 6,400 researchers, and 200 public sector and private laboratories. Montpellier Agglomération is devoted to promoting these resources by accompanying emerging scientific and industrial sectors in a variety of different ways.

LIFE SCIENCES

Biotechnologies and agronomics represent two major research areas in Montpellier. All public sector organisations in these fields are present locally. The Montpellier Agglomération area also hosts many internationally renowned companies, such as Sanofi-Aventis, Horiba Medical, Bausch & Lomb, and Novartis, as well as numerous innovative small- and medium-sized companies. The recent designation of two competitiveness clusters here (Orphème for rare and emerging pathologies, and Q@limediterranée for agri-food and healthcare) also demonstrates the momentum in this sector and the intensity of partnerships being formed among industrial, research, and educational entities.

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

The local ICT sector includes around 1,300 companies, divided into four key areas of expertise: software development, microelectronics, robotics, and multi-media. Not only do major international companies such as IBM, Dell, and PalmSource have operations here, but many other innovative firms in the area got their start here. Among those, some have gained international recognition in their fields, such as local upstart Genesys, which is the leading worldwide specialist in teleconferencing.

AN ACCOMPANIMENT PROGRAMME

Montpellier Agglomération participates actively in developing these sectors by providing financial support for technology transfer platforms and by accompanying innovative companies. Specialised host structures and workspace have been created for this purpose: the Cap Alpha start-up incubator and Cap Gamma-Cap Delta business centres for life science companies; Cap Omega and the Millénaire business centre for ICT companies.