Project supported by the European Commission

1. ECREINPlatform in Rhône-Alpes (RA) Policies and financial instruments dedicated to the first stages of eco-innovation : “research and demonstration” First workshop in Stuttgart, the 1rst of june 2007 Project supported by the European Commission

2. Summary • Key figures for Rhône-Alpes • Regional platform • Examples of good practices • Working tracks

3. RA is one of the 15 European Regions which generate the most of affluence Key figures for the Rhône-Alpes Region • Area :8% of the area of France, 2nd French Region • Population :6 Millions of Inhab(2006), 2nd French Region • Economy :GDP total : 165 Billions€ (France : 1 700 Bil€) • GDP/Inhab : 28 131 € (France : 27 957 €) • + 9% of companies setting up between 2003 and 2005 • Traditionalareas of activity : chemistry, textile, mechanical… • Emerging areas in the vanguard of innovation : electronics, computer science, biotechnologies, … • 365 000 companies in Rhône-Alpes (91% have less than 10 employees). • The medium SMEs (50 employees) employ 45% of the working population.

4. Summary • Key figures for Rhône-Alpes • Regional platform • Examples of good practices • Working tracks

5. Regional platform - 25th of April 2007 First meeting - presentation of the ECREIN project 31 persons were present, they represented : • SMEs (chamber of commerce, professional associations…) • Finance (Business angels, venture capital investors, financial institutions…), • Research (industrial technical centres, development structures) • French institutions (DRIRE, ADEME, OSEO, association of communes, …)

6. Regional platform – 10th of May 2007Implementation of financial instruments for ecoinnovation – Research and demonstration stages Second meeting – preparation of the workshop • Issues highlighted thanks to this meeting: • Importance of the public grants during the first stages of innovation, • Difficultiesto commercialize an innovative technology, • Difficulties to identify the appropriate grant among all the existing one. • Problem with the human resources in the SMEs (innovation skills often exist but there is not enough time to use them)

7. Summary • Key figures for Rhône-Alpes • Regional platform • Examples of good practices • Working tracks

8. Grenoble Angels • Goals • Finance new companies, • Create a network of investors and entrepreneurs, • Improve the local economic development, • Create a network with people who help companies at their creation and during their development. • Review • 2004 : Assessment of the RA market potential (carried out by the chamber of commerce in Grenoble), • May 2005 : creation of Grenoble Angels (15 members) • December 2005 : financing of the 1rst project • June 2006 : label and financial support from the « Ministry of SMEs… » • 2007 : 60 members Explanation for this success : a high economic potential and an efficient partnership with the city and the association of communes

9. Grenoble Angels • Economic activity • Average of the investment per project : 100 000 € • Direct investment in the economic activity of Grenoble : 900 000 € • Success rate : 250 requests • 64 set up files • 28 pre-selected files • 9 financed files • Place for the environment ? • No specific financing, • 10 “environmental” files are setting up. Non selected projects still have some advices and contacts with people of the network

10. Support collaborative research by initiating R&D partnerships with public laboratories and private companies , • Supervise the technical and marketing development of innovative technology before initiating their commercialization , • negotiate the industrial exploitation of new technologies. Floralis • Floralis is a subsidiary company of the University J. Fourier. (authorized capital of 1,5 M€) • Goal : transfer technology from research to market

11. Floralis • Financing examples : Proof of concept (1 to 2 years) This step requires some funds used to prove the future cost-effectiveness of the exploitation. Capital investment: 100 to 200 k€ (Contracts, Valorisation funds of the UJF, public funds : National agency for research, Region) Business unit (3 to 6 months) Concerns technologies mature enough to be available on the market in a short time frame (3 to 6 months). Floralis develops a business unit, which provides a specific service or product that Floralis manufactures and sells . • Advantage:Floralis ensures the financial risk (often very high). When the company is set up, they already have one or two profit and loss form. Allow job creation

12. Adaptability of an existing financial instrument Networktechnological benefit (=PTR) • Description • Incentive grant for a technological innovation (managed by Oseo and RA ), • Intervention of technological provider to help SMEs to implement their innovative project. • Financed actions • Creation of a new product, • Feasibility studies • Industrial property (Apply for a first patent), • Products development : try, calculation, economic model, … • Amount of grant • Grant ceiling: 75% of the estimate • Grant maximum : 5 000 € plusVAT

13. Adaptability of an existing financial instrument Networktechnological benefit (=PTR) • Beneficiary • SMEs with less than 250 employees • Advantages • Speed : 1 week of waiting period • Flexibility : the grant is directly paid to the provider • Release effect : 200 PTR per year, 3/10 have another grant after to continue their project. • Desired evolution • Develop this kind of grant by allowing the ecoinnovative projects to apply for such a grant.

14. Summary • Key figures for Rhône-Alpes • Regional platform • Examples of good practices • Working tracks

15. Working tracks • Recurring problems : • Difficulties to identify the appropriate grant, • Need for a guide. • Working track: theinnovation Gate CCInnovation(CCI of Lyon and its partners) • One counter, • Simplifying of the procedure : spare time and money, • Easier access the the investors network, • Specialized advisers Recent initiative, no feed-back yet