ATTRACTING INVESTMENTS ON THE CÔTE D’AZUR

2014 ANNUAL REPORT

www.investincotedazur.com

UNITING, MOBILISING AND DEVELOPING CREATIVE SOLUTIONS

“ Because the regions are now in fierce competition, their development requires sound marketing and communication policies. Networking, teamwork and combining our efforts to promote the Côte d’Azur internationally are vital in sustaining our economic activity, but also in increasing our visibility and the attractiveness of our ecosystems. Supporting growth projects, such as the French Tech, mobilising public and private stakeholders together, developing strategic and creative solutions to improve our international attractiveness in target countries are the missions assigned to Team Côte d’Azur. Together with its partners, the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry is actively involved in economic development, urban development and the international influence of the Côte d’Azur and its companies. ” Bernard Kleynhoff,

President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

CONVINCING EVER MORE COMPANIES TO JOIN US

“ Our region boasts considerable assets and the economic transformation that we have started is getting increasingly visible every day. Team Côte d’Azur fuels this momentum through its promotion and prospecting work by attracting the interest of investors from Europe, North America and Asia. At a time when the role of the metropolises is being strengthened, Team Côte d’Azur is the vital link in our attractiveness policy and must continue its efforts to convince even more companies to join us. ” Christian Estrosi,

Mayor of Nice and Member of Parliament, President of the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur.

BOOSTING THE CÔTE D’AZUR’S REPUTATION

“ A land rich in opportunities for its economic actors, the Côte d’Azur has consolidated its reputation through the outstanding achievements that have boosted business and supported company development. An attractiveness lever such as Team Côte d’Azur is therefore a considerable asset enabling both innovative start-ups and large international corporations to find the best conditions for setting up a successful business. ” Éric Ciotti,

Member of Parliament, President of the Alpes-Maritimes Department.

In 2014, Team Côte d’Azur suppor ted 31 corporate locations and site ex tensions decisions , once again demonstrating our region’s attractiveness to the IT, cleantech, health and life sciences sectors and of course, the service industry. The number of jobs expected from these investments is slightly lower this year. Decision-makers tend to be cautious in their forecasts, sometimes underestimating their future growth.

It should also be noted that there is a rebalancing at work: the so-called “exogenous” growth of the Côte d’Azur, a traditionally outward-looking region which has made attracting global leaders a speciality, has largely been complemented by “endogenous” growth generated by companies based or created locally, capitalising on the strength of the ecosystems built up over the last 30 years. A positive consequence of former proactive policies, this rebalancing illustrates the vitality of the Côte d’Azur’s economic fabric and emphasises the strength of a region that knows how to retain talent and support entrepreneurship.

By combining local and international dynamics, Team Côte d’Azur provides essential support to the economic development of our region, alongside the CCI and the public authorities. Its work with international investors par tly determined the success of the revitalisation plan around Texas Instruments in 2013/2014. Conversely, in 2014, the French Tech initiative highlighted the importance of the local entrepreneurial fabric in attracting foreign companies and the assets of the Côte d’Azur in terms of international visibility. By coordinating the French Tech Côte d’Azur project, Team Côte d’Azur has demonstrated its unique ability to bring together entrepreneurs and institutions, academics and large organisations, in order to develop ambitious and coherent action plans, serving the Côte d’Azur’s digital economy across the region’s four main hubs of Nice, Sophia Antipolis, Cannes and Grasse.

Like the French Tech Côte d’Azur, several region-wide projects are enhancing the synergies between the Eco-Vallée in Nice, an example of an urban technology park dedicated to clean technologies, sustainable development and smart city operations, and Sophia Antipolis, the first and largest European science park which has gained worldwide reputation in Information Technologies, and is currently launching the 2nd phase of its development.

Both the past year and the new year have confirmed Team Côte d’Azur’s fundamental choice to invest in talents, an essential factor in the attractiveness of our region. This orientation has justified the constitution of the agency’s Advisory Board, and I would especially like to thank all its members for their rich and productive work in 2014. This work is a key contribution to our project to create a brand, a fundamental element in maintaining and developing the region’s attractiveness that we intend to make a reality in 2015.

Jean-Pierre Mascarelli,

President of Team Côte d’Azur.

EDITORIAL Jean-Pierre Mascarelli President of Team Côte d’Azur

Events & missions in 2014.

Information technologies

Cleantech

Health and life sciences, cosmetics

Property

Multisector

Strategic partnership established in 2014

SEEKING OUT INVESTORSIn 2014, Team Côte d’Azur carried out 33 prospecting missions in France and abroad and covered 11 international and 10 national B-to-B events involving the Côte d’Azur’s fields of excellence. It also took part in numerous round tables and welcomed some 20 foreign delegations.

TEAM CÔTE D’AZUR IN ACTION

Joint mission to China, May 2014

Mission to New York and Washington, October 2014

Events & missions in 2014.

FRENCH TECH CÔTE D’AZUR Team Côte d ’A zur coord ina ted the Côte d ’A zur ’s application for the ”French Tech” label, bringing together entrepreneurs, public authorities and other stakeholders in the digital ecosystems of Nice, Sophia Antipolis, Cannes and Grasse.

BUSINESS PROPERTYTeam Côte d ’A zur increa sed i t s in i t i a t i ves w i th business proper ty investors . Active on the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur stand at MIPIM in Cannes, and on the Côte d’Azur stand at SIMI in Par is , the agency also relaunched the Club Immobilier d’Entrepr ise Azuréen, which published its f ir s t sur vey in December.

AND ALSO…• The 2nd Team Côte d’Azur Advisory Board met in Nice in March.

• Team Côte d’Azur sponsored the 1st TEDxCannes on the theme “Happiness & Business” on 26 April.

• In November, the “Maison de la Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur” was opened in central Paris by the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur together with the EPA Plaine du Var and Team Côte d’Azur.

1st TEDxCannes, April 2014

SIMI in Paris, December 2014

Pic’Tic at SophiaTech, during the visit by the national French Tech delegation on 3 October 2014

Opening in Paris, November 2014

In 2014, Team Côte d’Azur supported 31 corporate locations and site extensions from 10 countries that will create 450 jobs over the next 3 years. While the number of decisions recorded was one of the highest since 2008, the jobs forecast - 450 positions over 3 years - declined after a rather exceptional 2013.

The leading corporate locations in terms of jobs were those from the German Netvacation, a European cruise specialist which is opening a call centre in Nice and the Mauritian Eucleed, which is setting up its e-learning and MOOC services in Nice, under the brand name Wobs. Two site extensions with a production component also had a significant impact on employment: Savimex and its new design and production facility for high-tech visors in Grasse and Sofia Cosmétique, which is bringing together its activities and extending its dermo-cosmetic production in Carros. In 2014, the British-Ukrainian digital agency Skein Group, the e-health start-up Ignilife and the global leader in the provision of specialist travel services to the marine and offshore industries, Griffin (United Kingdom) were other significant corporate location projects in terms of employement.

The breakdown of investments by sector is quite balanced across the Côte d’Azur’s key industries: services, information technology, health and life sciences and cleantech.

• With near ly 45 % of decisions , the ser vices sector is par ticular ly well represented this year, cover ing aeronautical services (with the British Menzies Aviation, Allen Group, and Griffin Global Group), consultancy (with the American Grant Thomson, the French Comexo, Novalfi and PolitiqueLab), tourism (with the German NetVacation and Spanish Novovira), training (IES Group, United States) and contractor services (Frilans Finans, Sweden). The setting up of the business accelerator Régus in Sophia Antipolis and that of the investor network Media Deals, specialising in the creative industries and digital media, in Cannes, is a sign of investors’ renewed interest in a digital sector which is now blooming on the Côte d’Azur.

• The traditionally dominant information technology sector represented a third of projects and jobs in 2014 - divided

between global heavyweights such as the American Ceva and Quantenna, the Chinese Feitian which set up R&D centres in Sophia Antipolis, IT services companies such as the RDI group, and start-ups or scale-ups representing the new economy such as BBright, Synflow, Qwant, Eucleed and One Minute Please in Nice and Grasse.

• The cleantech, health and life sciences sectors positioned 3 and 4 projects respectively in technology-intensive areas: kinetic energy (Vertex-Ion), optical components (Savimex), fibre optic (Leoni, Art Photonics), e-health (Ignilife), medical devices (Mobile IV Systems) and dermo-cosmetics (Sophia Cosmétique).

R&D functions and business services each represented a quarter of investments and the resulting jobs. The remainder was distributed between decision-making centres, services for individuals and commercial offices. Production functions were also represented this year, with 10 % of the employment generated.

As every year, France was the source of 40 to 45 % of the investment decisions supported by Team Côte d’Azur. The year 2014 was marked by the renewed impor tance of European investments, par ticularly from the Nordic countries, but also Eastern (Ukraine) and Southern Europe (Spain) which represented 32 % of projects and 39 % of jobs. The United States, not very active in the 2013 results, was also back with 6 corporate locations. One Chinese and one Mauritian project complete the picture. Altogether, foreign direct investments amount to 18 decisions and 270 jobs.

The support solutions for corporate location provided by Team Côte d’Azur consist in mobilising the ecosystem (for 79 % of projects), helping investors to find a site (48 %), facilitating staff mobility (26 %) and even preparing funding applications (21 %).

The locations are broken down between the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur (18 investment decisions), Sophia Antipolis (10), Grasse (2) and Cannes (1).

31 investment decisions

representing 450 jobs forecast over the next 3 years

2014 RESULTSAttracting Investment to the Côte d’Azur 31

R&D Centres

25%Production

5%Commercial offices

11%Decision-making centres

18%B-to-C services

14%

B-to-B services

27%

■ PROJECT TYPE

R&D centres

25%Production

10%Commercial offices

9%Decision-making centres

17%B-to-C services

12%

■ NUMBER OF JOBS BY PROJECT TYPE

B-to-B services

27%

Information technologies

32%Services

45%

Health & life sciences

13%

Cleantech

10%

■ INVESTMENTS PROJECTS BY SECTOR

■ NUMBER OF JOBS BY SECTOR

Information technologies

32%Services

38%

Health & life sciences

17%

Cleantech

13%

0

200

400

600

■ NUMBER OF DIRECT JOBS FORECAST

2013

632

2011

434 450

2010

621

2009

625

2008

525

2007

557

2012

544

2014

0

10

20

30

■ NUMBER OF INVESTMENTS IN THE PAST 8 YEARS

2011

30

2010

30

2009

28

2008

27

2007

30

2013

29

2012

31

2014

31

France

42%Other

3%BRICS

3%NorthAmerica

20% Europe

32%

■ GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN OF INVESTMENTS

France

40%Other

9%BRICS

2%NorthAmerica

11% Europe

38%

■ NUMBER OF JOBS BY GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN

Assistance with personal mobility

Mobilisation of the ecosystem

Search for a site

Applications for incentive schemes

0 5 10 15 20 25

■ TYPES OF SUPPORT REQUESTS

6

14

23

8Assistance with personal mobility

Mobilisation of the ecosystem

Search for a site

Applications for incentive schemes

0 5 10 15 20 25

■ TYPES OF SUPPORT REQUESTS

6

14

23

8

■ SOURCE OF CONVERTED PROJECTS

Missions & Events

19%

Invest in France

10%

Networks

65% Web

6%

Information technologies

Signal encoding & visual display high-end solutions.

France R&D Centre

World leader in DSP licences (DSP cores and platform solutions for vision, audio, communications & connectivity).

United States R&D Centre

Smartcard and chip operating system based security technologies and applications. Ranks No.1 in China.

China R&D Centre, Decision-making centre

Web agency specialising in ‘One Minute’ video pitches.

Netherlands Decision-making centre

A global leader and innovator in ultra-high performance Wi-Fi semiconductor and system software solutions.

United States R&D Centre

Alternative search engine.

France Decision-making centre

IT solutions integration and services.

France B-to-B services

Digital strategy and technology consultancy.

Ukraine, United Kingdom R&D Centre

Electronic Design Automation software and services for embedded systems.

France R&D Centre

E-learning & MOOC services for universities & business schools.

Mauritius B-to-B services

THEY CHOSE THE CÔTE D’AZUR

The dynamics of Paris added to the quality of life.

“ We chose Sophia Antipolis for the region’s dynamic. With so many

companies open to innovation and Team Côte d’Azur’s support,

it is possible to create a genuine network around new challenges and opportunities. The Côte d’Azur has

a genuine international dimension which facilitates meetings with foreign

companies and investors. In short, the strong dynamic of Paris added to quality of life, the Mediterranean

and the Alps. ”

Nicolas Siret, SYNFLOW

The star t-up incubated in Rennes in 2013 chose Sophia Antipolis for the development of its business : enabling engineers and coders to design digital hardware (IoT, automotive, smar tphones, etc.) with ease and eff iciency.

Without Team Côte d’Azur, I probably wouldn’t be here.

“ We already had customers on the Côte d’Azur and saw great potential

due to the concentration of high-tech companies. However, the legal and

administrative environment is complex and I probably wouldn’t be here if

I hadn’t been able to take advantage of the enthusiastic support, accurate

information and follow up from Team Côte d’Azur at every stage in our process. Today, I am

delighted, especially since the airport makes it extremely easy for us to work between Nice and London! ”

Svetlana Surodina, SKEIN DIGITAL

Based in London and Ukraine, Skein Digital chose the Nice Côte d’Azur EC BIC for setting up its French subsidiary.

Services

European multi-brand car dealer, the leading online car dealer in France.

France Commercial office, B-to-C services

Independent audit firm, chartered accountant.

France B-to-B services

Scandinavia’s leading umbrella company.

Sweden B-to-B services

International business adviser and audit firm - assurance, tax and advisory services.

United States B-to-B services

Global leader in the provision of specialist travel services to the marine and offshore industries.

United Kingdom Commercial office, B-to-B services, B-to-C services

The Institute for the International Education of Students.

United States B-to-C services

Pan-European investor network gathering business angels and early-stage venture capital funds focusing on creative industries and digital media.

France B-to-B services

Global provider of passenger, ramp and cargo handling services.

United Kingdom B-to-B services

One of the fastest-growing travel companies in Europe, Netvacation Group operates the cruise portals Dreamlines.

Germany Commercial office, B-to-C services

Asset management, consulting and business services.

France B-to-C services

Travel agency and corporate events/business tourism services.

Spain Commercial office, B-to-B services, B-to-C services

Consultancy for political communications & strategy - events & lobbying, digital communications.

France B-to-B services

Private business accelerator Regus Innovation Network.

United Kingdom Decision-making centre

Professional aircraft detailing company.

United States B-to-B services

Courtesy, responsiveness and efficiency: it could not be

better!

“ Finding a relevant location for the new IES Centre in

Nice would not be as smooth without the support of Team Côte d’Azur. We have found

proactive interlocutors anxious to answer our specific needs

in a rather short period of time. The commercial spaces we visited both in the center

of Nice and in its business districts were completely in line with our expectations.

The staff of Team Côte d’Azur have also treated us with much kindness and courtesy. It could

not be better! ”

Michael S. Steinberg, IES Abroad

International university placement agency working for

a consortium of some of the most prestigious American

universities, IES Abroad will open its 5th centre

in France at the start of the 2015 academic year.

Health and life sciences

World’s leading manufacturer and supplier of specialty optical fibres for spectroscopy, industrial and medical applications.

Germany R&D Centre

Innovative e-health prevention platform.

France R&D Centre, Decision-making centre

Self-powered portable intravenous infusion system for the military and first responders.

United States Decision-making centre

Design, manufacture and distribution of dermo-cosmetics.

France R&D Centre, Decision-making centre, Production

Cleantech

Global provider of optical fibres, wires & cables for infrastructures and industries.

Germany Commercial office, B-to-B services

Transformation of thermo plastic polymer materials by injection to produce high precision optic components.

France R&D Centre, Production

Kinetic energy storage and conversion.

France R&D Centre, Decision-making centre

A comprehensive

package, a convincing

proposal.

“ We were looking for a location to

establish our R&D and development teams and we shortlisted Lyon, Geneva

and Nice. Team Côte d’Azur was able to convince us with a comprehensive,

attractive and effective package. The new Le Paillon building dedicated to innovation

and based in the middle of the health ecosystem in Nice Pasteur district gives us great visibility. The Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur provides very “business-friendly”, effective support. Incubation within the business incubator guarantees cutting-

edge expertise and a dense network. ”

Fabrice Pakin, IGNILIFE

Founded in Luxembourg with the support of the European

Europe4Star tUps programme, Ignilife chose to open its offices in Nice in 2014

within the Espace Paillon 2020.

Valuable assistance in preparing a complex

grant application.

“ Team Côte d’Azur assisted

Sofia Cosmétique in obtaining a Regional Hiring Grant (Prime d’Aménagement du

Territoire) for our investments in Carros.

Constant support, relevant information and valuable advice

enabled us to focus on the key points and be sure of securing the PAT.

We are fully satisfied with the support we received. ”

Dr. Alexandre Dingas, SOFIA COSMETIQUE

Sofia Cosmétique will bring together all its five sites and open a new

production centre in Carros (Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur).

What will you remember about 2014?

In a morose European environment, the healthy performance of the 2014 investments on the Côte d’Azur shows how our sound strategy towards investors has been strengthened by the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur’s increasingly clear image. Netvacation’s has chosen this location for its combination of expertise in the service, tourism and new technology sectors - a successful positioning that is also illustrated through the Innovative City trade show and the French Tech Côte d’Azur initiative.

I want to praise the return of North American investors who had set on to invest in Sophia Antipolis but were slightly down in 2013. I believe it is the result of our continued efforts on the East and West coasts of the United States which, like South-East Asia and Northern Europe, are priority areas for prospecting campaigns.

2014, which marked the 30th anniversary of our agency, also heralded the start of a profound change in our work, both internally and with our partners.

What are the main changes within Team Côte d’Azur?

Team Côte d’Azur has significantly changed its working habits incorporating project-based methodologies which enable us to manage complex programmes such as coordinating the Club Immobilier d’Entreprise, the French Tech Côte d’Azur initiative, territorial marketing, etc. Flexibility and versatility are essential in organising solid local, national and international networks.

Furthermore, our digital marketing has become a decisive component and we are strengthening our economic intelligence capacities across the network.

The investors we meet are all looking for a unique entry key

into the region. Public economic development bodies have

made Team Côte d’Azur this entry key and we have been able

to establish solid and operational links with other partners

including business schools and universities, major corporations,

entrepreneurs and professional associations. Our ability

to unite stakeholders is essential for carrying out strategic

projects on behalf of the region - French Tech Côte d’Azur is

one of this year’s major initiatives and territorial marketing will

be the major project for 2015 and beyond.

What is your territorial marketing approach in 2015?

Strengthening our attractiveness in the face of increasingly

globalised competition is a strategic challenge and a priority

area, especially as the Côte d’Azur has reached a critical mass

in terms of the maturity of its sectors, the property offer for

businesses and the ability to unite its stakeholders.

A region’s attractiveness depends largely on the way its

stakeholders and the public promote it. Our most successful

foreign competitors are all focusing on joint territorial

schemes, bringing together public and private entities. In the

case of the Côte d’Azur, all the economic, tourist and academic

stakeholders are involved.

Our Advisory Board, which includes the representatives

of prestigious companies, will be a key tool in this approach

because they are always looking to strengthen their ecosystem

and the pool of talents that attracted them here. They are the

first ambassadors of its success.

“ Uniting stakeholders for

the sustainable improvement of our

attractiveness. ”

INTERVIEW Jacques Lesieur CEO, Team Côte d’Azur

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400, Promenade des Anglais - BP 3185 - 06204 Nice Cedex 3 - FranceMaison de la Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur - 41-43 rue Saint Dominique - 75007 Paris - France

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