Study visits are one of the high value activities of the P2L2 project. These regularly scheduled events offer opportunities for interregional learning and exchange of experiences. Since the project started, P2L2 has hosted study visits in nearly all of the participant regions. In the last year, partners and stakeholders have congregated in Bremen, Poland, Lithuania and Denmark where participants learn about the host region’s policy instruments and visit key players in the region’s advanced materials ecosystem. Study visits are also opportunities for the project’s steering group to conduct review, planning and coordination meetings.
The latest in these study visits took place from 7 to 9 November 2017 in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region and was attended by about thirty participants.
Since joining P2L2 project, the Aquitaine region has merged with two other former regions in France (Limousin and Poitou-Charentes) to create a new entity: Region Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The study visit was therefore also an opportunity to present the new regional context, the statistics of the merged region and the innovation ecosystem in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Participants and Presenters
In a series of facility visits and panel discussions, the study visit brought together international stakeholders of the P2L2 project with the French regional partners. The regional stakeholders in Nouvelle-Aquitaine are partners such as universities, laboratories, technological centres, companies, and clusters that are involved in the regional roadmap definition and implementation. The following regional stakeholders were present in the study visit either as organizers, contributors, speakers, presenters or a combination thereof.
Institutional Structures and Clusters
ADI Nouvelle-Aquitaine - The regional economic development and innovationagency commissioned and funded by the main regional public partners.
Aerospace Valley - Aerospace Valley, Competitiveness Cluster for Aeronautics Space and Embedded Systems is the most significant ‘‘pôle de compétitivité’’ (innovation competitive cluster) in France in the fields of aeronautics, space and embedded systems, counting over 840 members from both industry and academia.
Pôle Européen de la Céramique - European Ceramics Pole undertakes research and development projects for identifying new applications for ceramics in areas such as habitat, optics and electronics.
Aquitaine Chimie Durable - A cluster of industrial chemistry and materials in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region
Academic partners, technological centres, higher education institutions
ELORPrinTec - Unique worldwide facility in the fabrication of materials for printed organic electronics.
CANOE - Regional Center for technological Development in the fields of Advanced and Nanostructured Materials.
IMA - Training center in aeronautics engineering and life cycle management inaeronautics and transports in the University of Bordeaux, located at theMerignac airport.
Groups and innovative enterprises
Stelia Aerospace Composites (formerly Composites Aquitaine) - Regional SME involved in composites parts manufacturing for 30 years and now part of the Stelia aerospace group.
AEC Polymers --- Active in the field of structural adhesives for 15 years, AEC Polymers developed a proprietary methacrylate adhesives range.
Ariane Group --- a joint venture of the European aerospace company Airbus and the French group Safran, with its three core businesses: aerospace (orbital propulsion systems and equipment), defence and security with the objective of development and subsequent production of Ariane 6. T
RT2I --- SME dedicated to the development of innovative composites process based on knitting and forming.
In response to interest discussed during the previous study visits, the meeting in Bordeaux was extended to the photonic Route des lasers et des hyperfréquences cluster and a visit to the Alphanov Optical and Laser Technology Center.
Steering Group Meeting
In Bordeaux, the project partners participated in the Steering Group Meeting (SGM), where they discussed several case studies and future actions towards the Policy Brief and the Regional Action Plan.
