As Phase IV (2019-2022) of the competitiveness clusters comes to an end in December 2022, Bruno Le Maire, Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, and Roland Lescure, Minister Delegate for Industry, announced in early August the opening of the call for applications for Phase V, which will close on October 7. The results will be published in December, so that Phase V can begin in January 2023.

The policy of competitiveness clusters was initiated in 2004 to mobilize the key factors of competitiveness, the first of which is the capacity for innovation, and to develop growth and employment in promising markets.

A competitiveness cluster brings together small and large companies, research laboratories and training institutions in a clearly identified area and on a targeted theme.

National and regional public authorities are closely involved in this process. The announcement of the Prime Minister, Philippe Edouard, on October 1, 2019, has indeed led to a shared steering, between the State and the Regions, of the competitiveness clusters policy. This has made it possible to strengthen the structuring role of clusters in the territorialization of innovation policies, as close as possible to productive ecosystems, and by reconciling regional and national priorities.

The mission of competitiveness clusters is to support innovation by promoting the development of collaborative research and development (R&D) projects. They also support the development and growth of member companies by helping them to develop and market new products, services or processes resulting from research projects. By enabling the companies involved to take a leading position in their markets in France, Europe and internationally, the competitiveness clusters are engines of growth and employment.

The call for applications for Phase V

Phase IV (2019-2022) of the cluster policy will end in December 2022, the call for applications opened last August 2 aims to label clusters for a new phase of 4 years (2023-2026) by continuing the momentum instilled by Phase IV, which gives an increased role to the Regions in the steering of the cluster policy.

The call for applications places particular emphasis on certain national priorities, which the clusters will have to integrate into the definition of their strategy and the deployment of their action. It aims to strengthen the competitiveness of French companies through innovation, by supporting the transformation of industries, particularly digital and ecological, in line with national strategies, particularly France 2030, and regional strategies.

With this in mind, the specifications for the call for applications define three objectives that clusters will have to pursue in Phase V:

• To create stronger, better interconnected ecosystems that are able to respond to both national and regional challenges by bringing them together;
• Strengthen the development of the action of clusters at the European level, to confirm the success of the phase that is ending in this area and amplify the international influence of innovation ecosystems by mobilizing European funding (Horizon Europe program);
• Supporting French SMEs and startups in their transformation and development, by accompanying technologically demanding innovation and industrialization projects that structure industrial sectors, in line with national and regional priorities.

The call for applications is open until 6:00 p.m. on October 7. The results will be published in December 2022, so that Phase V can begin on January 1, 2023.

Other specific calls for projects on the various components of the France 2030 plan will complement it and will be deployed at the national level, following the example of the Rebond Industriel scheme, announced by the Minister of Industry for the benefit of the automotive sector.

Translated from Lancement de l’appel à candidatures de la phase V des pôles de compétitivité