Sophia-Antipolis
Yes, France also has its own Silicon Valley - Sophia Antipolis. Ideally situated near the highway and the airport of Nice, Sophia Antipolis was created by Pierre Laffitte in 1972. The technological park that used to be a huge forest, now has 20 000 people working here.
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Large companies in the telecommunications, Internet, satellite and pharmaceutics sectors are found here. Two-thirds of the forest has been preserved and only one-third has been constructed on. An infringement on this rule will be taken very badly by its occupants as they see this natural atmosphere, with a bit of sun, as being a very motivating element. The architecture is generally in harmony with its surroundings. Besides the famous "start-up" companies that are housed here, a branch of the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), a division of Thomson electronics, the Welcome Laboratories and the Central Reservations Office of Air France, are all housed here.
Many educational institutions are also based here. The CERAM, an international business school, the ESSI , that assures the training of technicians, the CIV - International Centre of Valbonne, an international secondary school and a school specialising in communications have all found there home here.
Five communes share the land on which Sophia Antipolis is built, and the complex is still growing: Valbonne, Vallauris, Antibes, Mougins and Biot. This site is of no real tourist interest but the technological park is a good showcase for technology on the Riviera. |
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