The Mulhouse technology cluster (Alsace area, France) offers a buzzing entrepreneurial and innovative environment. A number of cutting-edge sectors are present, including transport technology, digital technology, intelligent textiles, green tech, green chemistry and photonics.
The area has a diverse commercial property offering, with plenty of choice for every stage of a company’s development. Situated in the centre of town, premises in the cluster allow easy access to attractions within the town, as well as fast connections to European centres such as Paris and Basel.
Five technology zones
The technology cluster contains five separate zones:
- The station business quarter, ‘Vert & Eau', for the high-end tertiary sector. 57,000 sq. m are available in the town centre, right in the multi-modal transport hub.
- The Foundry Industrial Village; 75,000 sq. m of industrial buildings, with shared services available, including building management, water and power.
- The Illberg Campus serves research and technology businesses, and includes: a business incubator in the Innovation and Enterprise Factulty, situated in the University of Haute Alsace’s department of research, for proximity to the laboratories; a business centre that offers offices and workshops along with business services.
- The ‘Parc des Collines’ business park, with 50 hectares of negotiable land in a high quality environment. The park welcomes the tertiary sector as well as technologies and non-polluting industrial activity.
- The ‘Mer Rouge’ business park for technology and biotechnology, offering an incubator for technology businesses and an innovation network that includes offices and laboratories.
So many innovative companies are moving to the area, and so many clusters have developed here, that an Institute of Clusters is being created. This project is intended to address the increasing need for companies in different sectors to collaborate and exchange ideas. All the clusters being in one place will foster effective dynamics and partnerships, which will obvioulsy bring huge advantages for the technological cluster - both in terms of innovation and making innovations commercial.
The Institute will house shared workspaces to accommodate joint projects. These facilities will include every requirment for running of an organisation - projectors, video conference, communal reception, business services, relaxation and restaurant area - and will give clusters, businesses, students and entrepreneurs a place to get together, hold meetings and run events that will get innovations to market.
There will be an area dedicated to professional training, especially exchanges that are muli-sector/company/cluster, and a centre of excellence - the 'E-Nov Campus' - that will allow students to develop their projects and create businesses.
Bespoke support for establishing a business
A full range of support services are available to assist businesses both in setting up in Mulhouse and their subsequent development. The local economic development agency, Mulhouse Alsace Agglomeration, provides each company with "a dedicated economic development officer to support them through every aspect of setting up here".
