Vincent BONZOM
Technical Manager - PSI ELECTRONICS

“Our long-term goals include reinforcement of our engineers’ expertise, development of our activities on European markets in cooperation with our Moroccan associates (MU Electronics). All of these aims are supported by the opening of an office at Sophia Antipolis, because of its dynamism and the potential to extend our client base on the Côte d'Azur.”
http://www.psi-e.com

Le 02/09/2005

Stéphane THOMAS
General Manager and Application Manager for Mobile & Wireless - BROADCOM

“We chose Sophia Antipolis because it is the first international Science Park in France in which many important advanced technology companies have elected to open their offices. All these companies attract a highly skilled workforce to the Park. Furthermore, Sophia is designated by the French Government as the “Centre of Excellence” for telecommunications technology in France. Sophia is also very well served by Nice International Airport, the second busiest international airport in France.”
http://www.broadcom.com

Le 01/09/2005

Gabriele ORLANDI
General Director - YOGITECH EUROPE

“We decided to open an office in Sophia Antipolis due to its high density of players in the semiconductor arena, both large corporations and emerging niche leaders.”
http://www.yogitech.com

Le 02/08/2005

Jean-Claude SUMEROT
Manager, Software Platforms - ICERA

“Recognised worldwide as Telecom Valley, Sophia Antipolis plays host to several major companies active in telecommunications and thus to expert engineers in this field. The Eurecom Institute also trains young engineers and PhD. students in 2G/3G telecommunications, while undertaking innovative research projects on the next generations of telecom standards. “Sophia Antipolis offers an interesting setting which attracts talented people from all five continents. And our new site, “Les Deux Arcs” on the Route des Crêtes, is an ideal platform for our commercial activity.”
http://www.icerasemi.com

Le 15/07/2005

Massimo LUCCHINA
Manager - CISCO SYSTEMS

“Cisco opened its Paris office in 1991 to act as its European headquarters and sales office for France. The local office structure here in Sophia Antipolis was intended as a site dedicated to the development of expertise,” explains Massimo Lucchina, Cisco veteran of 10+ years and Senior Manager of the local development team.“Most of the staff located in Sophia report in Corporate or European-wide functions ; however, there is clearly a relevant interest and level of collaboration with local entities and customers, as well as with the French operation team. The members of our staff in fact report more to California than to Paris. “We appreciate the existence of good schools and colleges in the region, and Sophia Antipolis is an excellent environment in which to find engineers. We would in fact like the company to interact more extensively with the local community, both companies and administrative bodies, and to set up new links with the schools and universities”.
http://www.cisco.com

Le 02/05/2005

Philippe BALLERO
CEO - TXCELL

“We moved into our premises at Sophia Antipolis in 2001 because we needed more space. Our initial team of four has now grown to twenty. We also had to transfer our activities as a biotech company from a laboratory context in order to meet industrial norms.”

Le 02/05/2005

Nancy MAREK
Communications Department - SAP LABS FRANCE

“SAP Labs France chose Sophia Antipolis as its location because it gives us the opportunity of profiting from the best resources (international employees, proximity to our partners and customers, schools, establishments of higher education and high-tech companies). It is important for us to be close to industrial firms belonging to the Telecom Valley network and particularly to follow the evolution of the telecom industry.”
http://www.sap.com/saplabs_fr

Le 02/02/2005

Armelle FAVERY
Information Officer - CARMA

“We benefit from the fact that Sophia Antipolis is well-known internationally and also from its “high technology” image.”
http://www.materiatech-carma.net

Le 14/12/2004

Marc UGOLINI
Chairman - SKYWORKS SEMICONDUCTOR

“Some of the reasons why Sophia Antipolis was chosen as a Skyworks design center include the presence of the regulating organization ETSI, the central location of Sophia itself, allowing easy connection with the rest of Europe and the United States, and the technically competent and educated workforce that either study at schools such as Eurécom or work in the micro-electronics field.”
http://www.skyworksinc.com

Le 09/11/2004

Michel ESCRIVA
Founder and CEO - AMITIS

“We located in Sophia Antipolis for its quality of life, its easy travelling facilities thanks to the proximity of Nice-Côte d'Azur Airport, and its scientific and university environment.”
http:www.amitis.com

Le 29/09/2004

Alain TIXIER
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - OKDAK

« Okdak is located at Sophia Antipolis because the technopolis is an outstanding place to develop an IT activity and to meet qualified persons in order to finalize a product or a system. The company benefits from Sophia’s worldwide reputation, as well as support provided by the Sophia Start Up Club, which enabled it to meet potential partners and highly qualified contacts. »
http://www.okdac.com

Le 23/08/2004

Colette ROGER
Chairman and Chief Executive - SMARTCOM

“SmartCom chose to locate in Sophia Antipolis for two reasons. The main reason is that Sophia is the leading “capital” for the telecommunication and computing technologies sector. Being close to partners and institutes within the same technological area is part of SmartCom’s strategy towards innovation and product development. Furthermore, the fact that the parent company RTE was already established in Sophia Antipolis was an added strategic encouragement for SmartCom to move the company to the same area.”
http://www.smartcom.com

Le 31/07/2004

Eric BAISSUS
Chairman and Chief Executive - OPEN PLUG

“Situated on the French Riviera, Sophia Antipolis is one of Europe’s leading science and technology parks. Many world-famous companies have R&D facilities in the area. As a center for innovation, Sophia also has a high number of technology start-ups and attracts a large pool of technology talent.”
http://www.open-plug.com

Le 30/06/2004

Ralf HUTIN
General Director - NQI - Network Quality Intelligence

“The fact that NQI is located at Sophia Antipolis has enabled us to repatriate several French engineers and doctors from the USA, and thus help to counter the brain-drain ! After living in California, people naturally prefer to live and work in the South of France.”
http://www.nqicorp.com

Le 21/04/2004

Joseph SPATARI
General Director - POLYCOM

“There are many reasons why we opened an office at Sophia Antipolis. Situated at the heart of our commercial territory, ie. the southern part of EMEA (Europe-Middle East-Africa), Sophia meets our need to benefit from the mutiple access facilities offered by the region. It serves as an assembly point, and facilitates our organisation of the travelling requirements of our collaborators who are dispersed over a very vast region. Our Sophia branch also enables us to offer our clients and Certified Partners proximity services and support, which include a full demonstration platform and a team of specialists who advise on technical and commercial aspects of their tele-conferencing projects. Finally, the commercial, technological, service and industrial dynamism of the region needs no introduction. A growing number of our clients have branches on the Côte d’Azur, and the fact of being present locally is undoubtedly a major asset in the service we offer to our clientele. It also provides us with a deeper knowledge of the environment surrounding our clients’ projects, thus helping us to improve our responsiveness and the quality of our support.”
http://www.polycom.com

Le 08/03/2004

Lieven VANSTRAELEN
France Managing Director - REUS

“The Côte d’Azur in general, and Sophia Antipolis in particular, provide REUS with the ideal location for its development in France and Southern Europe. Active participation in the emergence of the “energy” cluster will enable us to stay at the cutting edge of developments in the energy efficiency sector. Thanks to our solutions, our clients manage to double their savings in energy and water in their premises. And thanks to our presence in the region, we hope to double our rate of growth…”
http://www.reus-int.com

Le 17/02/2004

Marc BRUA
Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive - AEQUALIS

"Just as it is primordial in our activity to be present in Paris, our office at Sophia Antipolis is also highly important. In fact, major decision-makers are to be found at Sophia, and the level of engineers here is very good. Being able to propose posts at Sophia-Antipolis, Paris, Lyon and, very shortly, Bordeaux and Marseille makes us very attractive in the eyes of engineers who join the company from different regions of France, but also from abroad (we have about ten different nationalities at present). We are currently impatiently waiting for things to pick up at Sophia, as already seems to be the case in Paris since the beginning of the year."
http://www.aequalis.fr

Le 10/02/2004

Gérard MILHIET
Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer - MEDIAN TECHNOLOGIES

"Not only are there a large number of 3D image analysis specialists working at laboratories like INRIA in Sophia Antipolis, but it is also very easy to attract the world's top professionals in our field to relocate to this area. Two of our first employees, for example, were hired from New York and Paris. Indeed, the quality of life on the Côte d'Azur is extremely impressive for anyone from anywhere. And with direct flights to most major cities in Europe, Sophia Antipolis is an ideal location for building our network of clinical and scientific partners, as well as our European support center."
http://www.mediantechnologies.com

Le 17/12/2003

Christophe ARZANO
Regional Director - COFRAMI

"We have a corporate policy to be in close proximity to our customers throughout France and opened a Côte d’Azur office to be near clients like Air France, Alcatel Space, IBM, Thales and Texas Instruments. There was also a possibility of establishing contracts with other high-tech companies in Sophia Antipolis, like Amadeus, and establishing a foothold in international markets through contact with multinational firms located here. One other attribute of the Côte d’Azur is the efficient educational system that enables us to locally hire qualified engineers. And the global quality of life makes this a very attractive region for our employees, which enables us to create a stable workforce. In addition, our Marseille office is only ninety minutes away which is a very easy commute from Sophia Antipolis."
http://www.coframi.fr

Le 01/12/2003

Hervé GEORGE
Managing Director - EQUILIBRE ATTITUDE

"After working with Texas Instruments and other companies on the Côte d'Azur for twenty-four years, I joined this young healthcare firm in Sophia Antipolis in order to combine the efficient structure and American culture of an established multinational with the dynamism and spontaneity of a French Riviera start up. The healthcare and biotech business is growing significantly here and it could have the same strength and presence in the future as information technology does today. My objective is to take advantage of our various growth prospects by streamlining and consolidating our product line, creating strategic alliances and improving communication with consumers. To achieve this, we are focusing on innovation, excellence, transparency and service to implement a durable development strategy. Sophia Antipolis is an excellent place to undertake this challenge because there is a multinational and enthusiastic spirit here. The proximity of the airport remains a key factor for every company in the area, as does the ease of attracting talented people to work here."
http://www.equilibre-attitude.com

Le 25/11/2003

Sacha VRAZIC
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technical Officer - SIGTONE

"I completed my studies at the Eurécom Institute and felt Sophia Antipolis was the best place to launch an audio signal processing and automatic music transcription company because of the expertise available in the technopole and the ease of attracting engineers to work here. Our offices in the CICA (International Center of Advanced Communication) complex are more than adequate for a start up and allow us to manage our growth while limiting our expenses. In addition, our founders have a vast network of contacts on the Côte d’Azur that includes local investors, the faculty and staff at the Eurécom Institute, and regional musical conservatories and institutes. We also have the support of a multimedia laboratory in Marseille."
http://www.sigtone.com

Le 20/10/2003

Dr. Gil CHING
Chief Executive Officer - TECHSONIC

"Our four founders formerly worked in Sophia Antipolis with Thomson-Sintra, the submarine acoustics division of France’s Thomson group which concentrated on military applications. After failing to create an internal civil operation within the company, we left to found TechSonic in 1992. We stayed in Sophia Antipolis after we founded TechSonic because it made logistical sense and we had a wide network of contacts and subcontractors. Although the science park is not always the best place for a start up, it provided us with a large pool of skilled engineers. In addition, a large semiconductor sector has developed in Sophia Antipolis and we are close to other French high-tech areas like Rousset and Grenoble. And because our product is primarily sold in Germany and other export markets, the airport makes this an ideal base from which to serve European and international clients."
http://www.techsonic.fr

Le 07/10/2003

Xavier BON
Vice-President of Sales and Marketing - ASK

"Sophia Antipolis, where we moved into larger and more modern offices in 2003, is an international location that features the qualified hardware, software and technical engineers we require for our development. We started the company in Aix-en-Provence, close to semiconductor manufacturing sites, but located our offices here not only because this is a central area for Europe but also because of the quality of life in this area. The decision to base both our R&D and manufacturing activities in Sophia Antipolis, which is not common among most companies in the science park, was very smart. I think it is essential for a company to have its production facilities close to the decision-making, R&D and quality control departments. The nearby international airport is also especially key for our Sophia-based sales and marketing team because they travel forty percent of the time to market, promote and sell our technology and products to public agencies and private systems integrators throughout the world. Lastly, the lack of formality on the Côte d’Azur keeps our staff relaxed and enables them to work more conscientiously."
http://www.ask.fr

Le 08/09/2003

Bertrand POURCELOT
Director of Operations - CENTILE EUROPE

"Our broadband Internet Protocol (IP) telecommunications company was created in Sophia Antipolis as Odisei in 1998 and we have since conducted the entirety of our R&D activities here. Although five years later there are fewer large telecom players in the technopole, this is still the place we want to be because the area has a vast number of highly skilled engineers and some intriguing start ups. Ninety percent of our business during the past year was in Sweden and Finland, which are very advanced in IP telecommunications. Another reason we want to be here is to use Sophia Antipolis as a springboard for our activity in France and other European countries. These markets are just getting active in broadband communications and represent significant potential for us. An additional plus for Sophia Antipolis is that our partners and customers love coming here from anyplace in the world."
http://www.centile.com

Le 29/08/2003

Christophe HUERRE
Director of Information Technology, Garrett Engine Boosting Systems, and the executive responsible for locating Honeywell’s European Center - HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL

"We considered numerous sites in Europe – including the Netherlands, England and Ireland -- before deciding to locate our European Data Center on the Côte d’Azur in 1997. We chose Sophia Antipolis because we knew we could attract and keep skilled employees here. The park also had a high quality telecommunications infrastructure with very good service. And the area’s geographic position is simply the best available for a multinational company with activities in every European country. Our activities as a data center have been slightly modified during the past six years. Among other things, we have developed a close support agreement with IBM in La Gaude and their presence in the region turned out to be another positive reason for our choice to locate here. Between 2003 and 2005 Honeywell will continue to consolidate the activities of its national data centers and business units in various European countries at its facility in Sophia Antipolis."
http://www.honeywell.com

Le 25/08/2003

Jean-Louis BRELET
Senior Manager, Technical Market Research, Advanced Products Division - XILINX

"I had been working at Xilinx headquarters in San Jose just before we decided to establish an office in Sophia Antipolis in September 2001. We wanted a location with easy access to the rest of Europe that was also in a center of microelectronics activity that would give us the opportunity to work with local partners and research organizations. Sophia Antipolis was our first choice and since we arrived we have been working with our partner IBM in La Gaude and have been active participants in the annual Sophia Antipolis Micro-Electronics (SAME) Forum. The California feeling and excellent weather in the French Telecom Valley were also a consideration."
http://www.xilinx.com

Le 05/08/2003

Dr. Gianmaria MAZZUCCHELLI
Vice President and Managing Director - WIPRO NEWLOGIC

"The reason we are located in Sophia Antipolis is because our team of twelve semiconductor and software specialists, all of whom had worked with various companies in the science park, approached Austria’s NewLogic Technologies in 1999 and offered to open a specialized wireless communications development center here. We subsequently became a key part of NewLogic and today have about sixty employees in the technopole. hy Sophia Antipolis? All of the major semiconductor players are located here, which makes it very easy to recruit a talented staff. There are not only experienced engineers in our field on the Côte d’Azur, but it’s also easy to attract talent from abroad. Our customers also love to come here from anywhere in Europe for conferences, training sessions and other meetings. And they tend to bring a positive and constructive attitude with them when they arrive because of the climate and relaxed atmosphere on the Côte d’Azur. In addition, the headquarters of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is another key attraction in Sophia Antipolis and when our clients are here to visit ETSI they also drop in to see us."
http://www.newlogic.com

Le 23/07/2003

Jean-Marc DJIAN
Telecom Business Unit Director & Regional Director of Systems Integration - ATOS ORIGIN INTEGRATION

"We have had offices on the Côte d’Azur for almost twenty years and initially located in Nice because IBM in La Gaude was a key client. We moved to Sophia Antipolis in 1995 because the technopole had become a privileged location for advanced research and development. And we wanted to be closer to customers like Amadeus and Hewlett-Packard. We had forty employees when we first arrived in Sophia but our workforce quickly grew to 120 engineers and consultants due to of the rapid expansion of large multinational telecommunications companies and the development of local start ups. In addition, our engineers became involved in a number of pan-European R&D projects. The most positive aspect of being located in Sophia is the proximity of numerous customers who work within a few minutes of our offices. In addition, we are twenty minutes away from the Nice airport which enables us to easily visit clients in other parts of France."
http://www.atosorigin.com

Le 15/07/2003

Pierre BRICAUD
Director of Business Development, IP & Design Services - SYNOPSYS

"We maintained offices on the Côte d’Azur after we merged with Avant! primarily because of Sophia Antipolis and the fact that the five most important semiconductor companies in the world are located here. In addition, there are a wide variety of other established companies and start ups in the telecommunications and wireless arena in the technopole. Another influencing factor is that our engineers from California and Oregon enjoy coming here for short-term consulting jobs because the weather and environment make them feel right at home. The same attribute enables us to make our Sophia Antipolis site a focal point for training both European customers and our internal staff."
http://www.synopsys.com

Le 04/06/2003

Jean-Luc DABI
Founder and President - JLMD ECOLOGIC GROUP

"I initially moved to the Côte d’Azur because my dog, Octave, couldn’t stand the weather in Luxembourg and I’ve always been attracted to the sea. The sinking of the Erika, and the resulting oil spill on the Brittany coast in 1999, not only destroyed the environment and disturbed me personally. It also provided the spark for the idea behind my invention that permits the rapid recovery of oil from a sunken tanker. “I headquartered my company in Sophia Antipolis because this is a project born of the sea and, of course, the Côte d’Azur has always been very open to the Mediterranean. Although there is a small local market for our system, there is a tremendous amount of tanker traffic on the sea and at nearby Fos-sur-Mer. In addition, the technological environment and communication capabilities in Sophia Antipolis are hard to beat."
http://www.jlmdsystem.com

Le 20/05/2003

Cyrille DEVAUX
Consultant - AUBAY

"Aubay located in Sophia Antipolis because of the rapid growth of IT companies in the technopole. Despite the recent economic crisis, the continually thriving intellectual atmosphere and exciting technological environment here continue to underline the area’s potential. Besides our local client base, we are very close to customers in Monaco and Italy. And the quality of life here makes it very easy for us to recruit qualified engineers from other parts of France."
http://www.aubay.com

Le 22/04/2003

Jean-Pierre GAUDET
Founder and Director - VIRNET COMMUNICATION

"I have been in Nice for twenty-five years as both a student and a professional in the computer-aided design sector. Five years ago I felt that urban planning could benefit from a computer platform that merged the actual environment with simulations of elements being considered for future development. I created a ‘virtual architecture’ firm in Nice in 1998 and moved the company to Sophia Antipolis in 2002. We made the move because we had a private investor located in the technopole and also wanted to be closer to engineers and companies working in our field. Since we’ve been in the science park we have made a number of important contacts and relationships through participation in various associations, like the Sophia Start-Up Club, and collaboration with local research centers."
http://www.virnetcom.com

Le 13/03/2003

Andreas MALZACH
Managing Director - BROADCOM

"I had been working in Sophia Antipolis with two multinational semiconductor companies when I suggested to WIDCOMM -today BROADCOM- that they locate their European headquarters here. The Côte d’Azur made sense because of the large number of semiconductor companies with a presence in Southern France and Northern Italy. In fact, U.S. semiconductor companies seeking a European location today find that their choice is limited to Sophia Antipolis, Munich or London. Americans tend to favor Sophia because it has a ‘California spirit’ and so many of their competitors, customers and clients already have facilities here. In addition, the area features a skilled base of prospective employees, a great airport, international schools and an attractive quality of life."
http://www.widcomm.com

Le 07/02/2003

Vincent PRUNET
Director of Mobile and Trusted Devices Business Unit and Sophia Antipolis Site Director - TRUSTED LOGIC

“We located in Sophia Antipolis in order to be able to hire top quality talent in our technological niche – and this area is on a par with Paris when it comes to the population of experienced engineers. We also wanted to develop partnerships with local electronics and software firms like STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments. In addition, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute and local graduate schools allied with renowned research laboratories, like Institut Eurécom and INRIA, are valuable assets here. Our employees, and we’ve also hired engineers from as far away as Hong Kong, obviously enjoy the French Riviera because of the quality of life. But more importantly they realize that being in Sophia is definitely not a dead end for their careers but instead is a very smart professional move."
http://www.trusted-logic.com

Le 23/01/2003

Philippe DUBOIS
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer - CERTIMATE

"The academic, technical and professional skills available at the Ins t itut Eurécom, where both myself and co-founder Refik Molva previously worked, are the main reason we are in Sophia Antipolis. In addition, the atmosphere and human networking possibilities at the International Center of Advanced Communications (CICA) keep us aware of what’s going on locally in the world of high-tech start ups. I’ve been in Sophia Antipolis for ten years and don’t mind going back to Paris, which is where I’m from and where many of our clients are located. But after a decade on the Côte d’Azur, I would never choose to live in Paris again. Fortunately flights are so inexpensive these days that it is easy and efficient to make day trips between Nice and the French capital."
http://www.certimate.com

Le 22/01/2003

David MCTERNAN
General Director - TTPCOM FRANCE

"It was a mix of opportunity and serendipity that led us to create a research, development and design center for our new global wireless project in Sophia Antipolis in February 2002. A group of experienced engineers in the science park, who were seeking new opportunities, contacted us and met our stringent requirements with their expertise in software and hardware in 2.5G and 3G technologies. They soon formed the core team for our design center. We are now thriving and the science park has excellent air connections with the UK and the rest of the world – as well as a much better climate and cuisine than in Cambridge. Although it is difficult to find one’s feet in a new country, CAD introduced us to a number of local advisers to enable us to work through the bureaucracy. And it may sound trivial, but the variety of activities – skiing, tennis and many other sports – combined with the varied countryside is a great attraction for an Englishman like myself."
http://www.ttpcom.com

Le 10/01/2003

Marc BRUA
Co-Founder and President - AEQUALIS

"I was born in Nice, went to school in Marseille and returned to the Côte d’Azur in 1995 to work with a web agency and Internet security company until March 2002. Despite the difficult economic climate, I co-founded my own information technology company in April 2002 because I felt it was the right time to introduce a commercially aggressive Internet network security and online application services start up in this area. There was a large reservoir of talented and qualified people to recruit locally and I was also able to attract specialist engineers from abroad due to the region’s well-established reputation as a place to work and live. My familiarity with the area enabled Aequalis to quickly establish a local clientele because Sophia Antipolis, which had not been too adversely impacted by the economic crisis, contained a number of solid and established companies, like Amadeus and IBM. Monaco, which is synonymous with security, represented another key local market. My company had forty employees and a rapidly expanding list of customers by the end of 2002."
http://www.aequalis.fr

Le 02/12/2002

Laurent PAREZ
Founder and Managing Director - WIP

"I came to the Côte d’Azur in 1993 to attend a business school in Nice and after graduation was recruited by a company in Rennes. But my wife couldn’t tolerate the climate there and we returned to Sophia Antipolis where I worked with an information technology service provider for a year before launching my own high-tech recruitment company in 2001. Sophia Antipolis is well known throughout the world, it has an incredible infrastructure and there are no other technopoles with its charm anywhere else in Europe. Consequently it is very easy to attract talented people to work here and once they locate in the area they impressed by the large range of established companies, the short commute times and the distinction between time at work and time at play.”
http://www.wip-sa.com

Le 27/11/2002

Dr. Jean-Pierre FAURIE
Chief Executive Officer - LUMILOG

"We are a spin-off of a National Scientific Research Center (CNRS) laboratory in Sophia Antipolis and it made logistical sense for us to stay on the Côte d’Azur when we created Lumilog to develop and manufacture gallium nitride semiconductor substrates. The CNRS lab here is a world-renowned center of excellence in our field and our ongoing relationship with it will help us remain at the forefront of this emerging technology. In return, we can help define the CNRS R&D orientations by providing them with an idea of market demands, evolution and requirements."
http://www.lumilog.com

Le 25/11/2002

Hervé BABEY
Marketing Manager - NAVLINK GMBH FRANCE

“We put our high-tech facility in Sophia Antipolis because we wanted to be outside large metropolitan areas in a secure environment with comparatively little risk. In addition, there was very little competition in our business niche on the Côte d’Azur, building space was reasonably priced, and we were able to recruit a number of talented employees. Our data center plays a strategic role for a number of enterprises, content providers, ISPs and network providers from seven countries. It has also contributed to the expansion of the region’s Internet infrastructure."
http://www.nav-link.net

Le 25/10/2002

Joël MANTELIN
Managing Director - VINCIENCE

"I attended the CERAM business school in Sophia Antipolis and was involved in a chemical and cosmetics start up in Grasse shortly after graduating. My partners and I bought the Nice firm Seporga, a company which created bioactive products for the cosmetics industry, in 1988 and moved it to Sophia in 1992. The science park is an excellent location for a niche high-tech life sciences company like ours because this is a fertile environment for creativity and scientific R&D. Imagination, art and science meet in Sophia Antipolis and there are many avenues of collaboration with other life sciences firms and various research organizations. We have obtained over 35 patents since 1999 and it is helpful that the offices of the National Industrial Patent Institute (INPI) are located in the technopole. We also recruit a number of our employees from universities in Nice and Marseille. In addition, Sophia Antipolis is a prestigious address for a company in the cosmetics industry because most of our clients are already familiar with Grasse and the reputation of the Côte d’Azur. "
http://www.vincience.com

Le 13/10/2002

Daniel ABECASSIS
Group Vice-President and General Manager - Wireless Infrastructure Division - STMICROELECTRONICS

“Sophia Antipolis is known everywhere as the heart of Europe’s Telecom Valley. This reputation is due to its high-level universities, telecommunication graduate schools and the wide array of telecom companies located in Sophia Antipolis. Together they create an important synergy which brings a semiconductor company like ours closer to skilled people and state-of-the-art technology. We’re glad to have established a division, which includes a research center, there in February 2002 because it’s very beneficial for us to be at the hub of things. The proximity of the Nice Côte d’Azur international airport was also a determining factor because it is very important for us to be able to easily access all of the major cities in the world. In addition, top engineers look more and more at the quality of life and the Sophia Antipolis environment and surroundings are a key plus for our employees."
http://www.st.com

Le 11/10/2002

Jacques SAMALENS
Communications and Public Relations Manager - NEXO FRANCE

"The founders of our company initially chose to create their start up in Sophia Antipolis in 1998 because the park offered numerous advantages for a high-tech company. These included not only the climate and technological diversity but also an extraordinary breadth of human resources. We have found it easy to contact and hire experienced engineers, consultants and technicians without going outside the area. And we fully expect that all of the engineers we plan to recruit in 2002-2003 can be found locally due to the large number of recent start ups in the telematics, software and Internet fields."
http://www.nexotelematics.com

Le 01/10/2002

Patrick PEIGNOT
Technical Director - NUSIL TECHNOLOGY EUROPE

"It is often very difficult to recruit talented personnel for our specialized business sector. One of the reasons we located our technical services center in Sophia Antipolis is because there are a number of experienced people here, many who formerly worked for another major silicone manufacturer, with the know-how we require for our advanced silicone technology. We also have a large pool of customers in the Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur region and in northern Italy. And the fact that the science park, which has the weather and an environment that is very similar to our headquarters in California, is very well known locally and throughout Europe assists us with our marketing efforts. In addition, the proximity of the Nice airport makes it easy for our customers to visit us and enables us to get anywhere within Europe in a few hours."
http://www.nusil.com

Le 30/08/2002

Bruno VAN HAETSDAELE
Chief Software Architect - HORIZON WIMBA

"Wimba was started in 1999 by four students and a professor at the Eurécom Institute, which I had chosen to attend because of the established reputation of Sophia Antipolis in telecommunications. When we launched the company we all wanted to remain in this area because it has a number of assets that can help a start up get off the ground. These include a dynamic technical environment that makes it easy to recruit talented software engineers who prefer to live and work in this pleasant, less stressful environment. And although our customers are located throughout the world, they often use our presence here as an excuse to visit the Côte d’Azur."
http://www.wimba.com

Le 07/08/2002

Werner SOMMER
Managing Director - SAP LABS FRANCE

"SAP decided six years ago that our development activities should expand beyond Germany to other leading-edge high-tech areas where we could find excellent researchers and developers. There is no more attractive area anywhere in Europe than Sophia Antipolis in terms of providing an environment that is excellent both for people and for R&D. In addition, Sophia Antipolis is much less expensive than Silicon Valley. The people are just as skilled but salaries here only about one-third as high as in California. We are only beginning to leverage the possibilities for partnerships and research projects on the Côte d'Azur, where there are some 20,000 people involved in information technology."
http://www.saplabs.fr

Le 26/06/2002

Gian Carlo MODA
Manager European Customer Service and General Manager - SEACHANGE INTERNATIONAL

"One reason we focused on Sophia Antipolis when selecting a location for our European Middle East and Africa Customer Service Center was due to its excellent communication service and infrastructure. In addition, we were able to find a professional staff with a good knowledge of electronics and international business. The established positive image of Europe's largest science park is also a favorable factor and the central location of the Côte d'Azur makes it easy for us to reach our customers on three different continents."
http://www.seachangeinternational.com

Le 19/06/2002

Patrick AUBRY
Vice President of European Operations - LIONBRIDGE

"Sophia Antipolis is home to Lionbridge because former members of the Digital Equipment Corp. translation group were among the founders of the company in 1996. The science park is an excellent base for us because its information technology and telecommunications activity correspond to our global content and technology services, which have now expanded into the life sciences, financial and industrial arenas. The industrial and intellectual activity here is complemented by excellent educational institutions, good weather and a quality of life which makes it very easy for us to recruit project managers and engineers. In addition, the airport and communication infrastructure enable us to keep in touch physically and digitally with the rest of the world."
http://www.lionbridge.com

Le 13/06/2002

Didier AZEMA
Research Project Manager - MISYS - Misys Asset Management Systems

"SIP, which was sold to the MISYS group in 1999, was created in Sophia Antipolis in 1994 when our founder Noel Amenc worked as a professor and director of the finance department at the CERAM business school. We remain in the science park because it offers a reservoir of well-trained financial, mathematical and computer engineers who are attending schools like the EDHEC and ESSI. In addition, the cost of facilities here is less than in many other locations and the state-of-the-art technological environment is very advantageous. We are a world center for MISYS and our offices here provide us with a distinctive global image for our research, production and marketing. We are in a location that enables us to easily support customers in Hong Kong, Sydney, Luxembourg, Switzerland or the United Kingdom to demonstrate new versions of our products. Moreover, the fact that our production center is separate from the operational facilities allows our engineers to concentrate on research and development."
http://www.misys.com

Le 11/06/2002

Daniel DARDAILLER
Deputy Director Europe - W3C

"We originally located on the Côte d'Azur in 1995 because of the personal and professional ties which existed between the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the National Institute of Computer Science and Automation (INRIA) in Sophia Antipolis. This continues to be a very exciting location for us because there are not only a vast number of web and network specialists in the area, but also over 1,000 companies, standards organizations like the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), and a variety of engineering schools. In Sophia Antipolis, it is easy to recruit a staff which brings a great deal of passion and spirit to work that is partly responsible for the evolution and future of the Web. In addition, the weather and the general environment make this a productive place to work. And despite the existence of the World Wide Web, our employees and members travel a great which makes the proximity of the Nice airport a real plus."
http://www.w3c.org

Le 21/02/2002

André DENIS
Chairman - F2E

"Olivier Fournier, the founder of F2E, and I were both raised on the Côte d'Azur. We have also both been entrepreneurs involved in engineering, research and development at our own start ups, although prior to joining F2E. I was working at Soditech in Cannes and president of the area's Hi-Tech Club. The Côte d'Azur provides an exceptional climate for a start up like F2E because we have access to a local network which includes competent engineers, researchers at various institutes, universities, and organizations like Côte d'Azur Développement. In addition, the future of telecommunications is being outlined and developed by many companies here and there is a constant stream of foreign visitors. Such a local network is key to the success of a small firm because it leads us to new ideas for products and prototypes."

Le 14/02/2002

Lutz FURSTE
Founder and Director - ASSTEC

"I was working in Germany as an environmental specialist concentrating on depolluting contaminated sites during the 1990s. I realized in 1996 that, with the maturation of the very competitive German market, this could be a key sector in other European countries. I decided to come to France to test the water. I chose the Côte d'Azur because I wanted to move my family away from the rather depressing Ruhr area to a place in the sun. I located in Sophia Antipolis primarily because the technology park gives my company a high-tech association and an 'address' that commands respect throughout the world."

Le 21/01/2002

Patrick MATAIX
Founder and CEO - CEO EUROPE

"I decided to launch CEO Europe here because of the business environment in Sophia Antipolis; the network I have established with local entrepreneurs, companies and organizations; and the general quality of life on the Côte d'Azur. I work in Paris three-quarters of the time because it is the headquarters of many venture capital companies. But I spend the rest of the time in and around Sophia Antipolis because there is a pool of start ups here which can be backed by the talent offered by my company. I am also attracted by local events such as the annual International Venture Capital Summit where I made valuable contacts for CEO Europe in 2001."
http://www.ceo-europe.com

Le 17/12/2001

Pascal PERU
Design Center Manager - ARM

"ARM purchased EuroMIPS Systems because it was interested in the added value provided by my company and our experienced team. But ARM also wanted to be on the Côte d'Azur because many of its customers -- like Texas Instruments, Philips and Conexant -- have important facilities here. In addition, ARM management realized that is easy to attract talented people to work here, that this is a pleasant place to live, and that our colleagues and customers enjoying coming here to meet with us."

Le 17/12/2001

Valentin GITTO
Business Development Director - LPG SYSTEMS

"We located our global communication, clinical research, export and marketing operations in Sophia Antipolis in 1998 because it is the most important technopole in Europe and we wanted to be associated with an environment that complemented our high-tech image and products. Our building, which is one of the most avant garde and technically advanced in the science park, is a testimony to the importance we attach to the role of design and technology in our business sector. In addition, I studied in Nice and personally underlined to our management that we could easily attract talent people to work here, and could also find qualified personnel on the local market. The international airport in Nice is also absolutely essential for us because we travel constantly and have frequent customers come visit us here."
http://www.lpgworld.com

Le 17/12/2001

Catherine QUEILLE-ROUSSEL
Administrative Director - CPCAD

"I moved to Sophia Antipolis from Paris in 1984 to work at the International Center of Dermatological Research (CIRD), which is now called Galderma R&D which set up the Clinical Pharmacology Center Applied to Dermatology (CPCAD) as a partnership with the Nice public hospital and university. In 1995, a new private company named Skinpharma replaced Galderma R&D within this partnership and the CPCAD became totally independent from the pharmaceutical industry. We are now the only dermatological Phase 1 center located in a public hospital in France and our existence is an excellent example of a public-private venture. The Archet 2 hospital in Nice, where we have been located since 1996, provides a favorable working environment for our specialized team -- and our sponsors enjoy visiting the hospital and it environment. In addition, we have local collaborations with pharmaceutical companies or subcontractor laboratories based in the area."

Le 25/10/2001

Catherine QUEILLE-ROUSSEL
Administrative Director - SKINPHARMA

"I moved to Sophia Antipolis from Paris in 1984 to work at the International Center of Dermatological Research (CIRD), which is now called Galderma R&D which set up the Clinical Pharmacology Center Applied to Dermatology (CPCAD) as a partnership with the Nice public hospital and university. In 1995, a new private company named Skinpharma replaced Galderma R&D within this partnership and the CPCAD became totally independent from the pharmaceutical industry. We are now the only dermatological Phase 1 center located in a public hospital in France and our existence is an excellent example of a public-private venture. The Archet 2 hospital in Nice, where we have been located since 1996, provides a favorable working environment for our specialized team -- and our sponsors enjoy visiting the hospital and it environment. In addition, we have local collaborations with pharmaceutical companies or subcontractor laboratories based in the area."

Le 25/10/2001

Robert MATHEWS
Technical Director - EUROPE TECHNOLOGIES

"We decided to locate our headquarters and design facilities in Sophia Antipolis, because we had formerly worked for Texas Instruments in nearby Villeneuve-Loubet. We also sensed, correctly it turns out, that there would be considerable growth in the microelectronics industry in this region. One result of our geographical choice is access to an increasingly large talent pool of skilled employees, both within our company and amidst our local partners. We have also been able to recruit students from institutes like the Graduate School of Engineers of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis (ESINSA) and develop research agreements with the local laboratories of well-known scientific organizations like the French National Research and Scientific Center (CNRS). Besides the blossoming technical environment found on the Côte d'Azur, the general environment, high living standards and established transport infrastructure are key for companies like ours."
http://www.europe-technologies.com

Le 01/10/2001

Michel BEGHIN
Operations Manager - ONE RF TECHNOLOGY

"Sophia Antipolis is an ideal location for an engineering, research and development company like ours because the science park is a remarkable draw for young talent in our business sector. We also benefit from recruiting and training possibilities at various universities in the area and our Austrian parent company, which purchased this company in 1999 when it was a Sophia Antipolis start up called Stamptronic, enjoys the image of having a French subsidiary in Europe's Silicon Valley. In addition, our clients especially like coming here to meet with us rather than traveling to a less desirable location. Despite the area's somewhat high cost of living, it is easy to get people to work here although there is currently a shortage of production managers and production facilities in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region."
http://www.adcon.com

Le 09/07/2001

Patrick JONES
Regional Director - COMPLETEL

"We located regional offices in Nice and Sophia Antipolis because CompleTel considered this a strategic area with exceptional potential. Among its attributes, of course, are the presence of all of the high-tech companies in Sophia Antipolis which are strong consumers of telecommunications and data services. Our Côte d£Azur offices are located in Sophia Antipolis because we want to be at the heart of telecommunications action in France£s Telecom Valley. The proximity of all these companies definitely facilities contact and business relationships. We also have a strong and tangible local presence because we are equipped with all of the resources required to handle a clientele which can range from very large to very small companies."
http://www.nice.completel.fr

Le 25/06/2001

Philippe NUNES DE CUNHA
Founder and President - XPAIR.COM

"I have been involved in the engineering consulting business in the south of France since 1994 and have had a company in Monaco since 1996. In the principality we have access to a wide variety of contacts and customers. At the same time, I feel our Internet operations will benefit from the high-tech image provided by our expansion in Sophia Antipolis. We will become one of the first firms, in fact, to combine the excellent images and facilities in both Monaco and Sophia Antipolis."

http://www.xpair.com

Le 18/05/2001

Jacques-Olivier PIEDNOIR
Vice President R&D Europe - CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS

“We opened our R&D center at Sophia Antipolis in recognition of the competence of engineers in the various centers on the site, and because it is much less difficult to recruit experts here than elsewhere. We also benefit from great stability in the composition of our team as people are keen to stay on in the region, and we enjoy close collaboration with the ESINSA, where we give lectures and take students for periods of work experience. Now that the Sophia Antipolis center has been given responsibility for the future generation of Cadence’s EDA tools, it will further benefit all our major accounts in Europe, with whom we have established close partnerships.”

Le 02/04/2001

Arnaud LAMBERT
Agency Director - MICROPOLE-UNIVERS

"We specifically selected to put a facility in the Sophia Antipolis science park due to its worldwide reputation as an avant garde high-tech center. This is a very key address for a company like ours and its central geographical location meets our plans to expand European activities before launching operations in Asia and the Americas. There is also, according to our thorough market research, substantial business potential for us among the high-tech companies located here. We expect our activity -- in areas ranging from web integration and the mobile Internet to consulting and network architecture -- to surpass that in many other parts of France, especially in the telecommunication and finance sectors. The multicultural workforce and pleasant environment in Sophia Antipolis is also an important plus for a contemporary high-tech company. We also think the quality of life here will enable us to keep employees for a longer period of time and are considering establishing an R&D center here."
http://www.cross-systems.com

Le 16/03/2001

Patrice DEMEOCQ
Executive Director - IXEUROPE

"I founded the Sophia Antipolis facility for IXEurope after Guy Willner, the company£s chief executive officer, gave me the fantastic opportunity to create an office in the South of France. I convinced the board, which was initially interested in locating in Marseilles, of the science park£s strategic technical and technological importance. The company decided to install a data center here when they realized that Sophia Antipolis is the equivalent of Europe£s Silicon Valley and home to many important IT and telecommunications companies. It also helped that the park is ideally situated close to both the autoroute and the Nice international airport.
Our IXDataCenter features a number of elements -- including multiple carrier possibilities, storage space, and a secure environment -- required by many information technology companies located in Sophia Antipolis. The 4,000-square-meter premises will be completely renovated and operational before the end of 2001."
http://www.ixeurope.com

Le 12/03/2001

Jean-Jack BOUMENDIL
Founder and Chairman - VITECHNOLOGY

"I chose to locate in Sophia Antipolis because of its geographical position and well-known high-tech image as the 'Silicon Valley of Europe.' This address is now known throughout the world and it has been a key factor in enabling us to enhance our reputation as a state-of the art company. In addition, the experienced team of thermal engineers which interested me when I launched Thermatech was already located on the Côte d'Azur. Our Sophia Antipolis site gives us ideal access to both air and road transport, but this is also an environmentally friendly location. It provides our employees with a fantastic 'quality of life' while they live amidst an exciting science, academic and corporate world."
http://www.thermatech-group.com

Le 05/03/2001

Dominique LAMBALLAIS
Managing Director - ASOPHIA SOFTWARE

"I was working on the Côte d£Azur with Siemens prior to becoming managing director of ASOPHIA Software, an R&D company in Sophia Antipolis which has developed and marketed a state-of-the-art Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software solution. Like other locally based employees at the firm, which was taken over by CNA Engineers of Singapore last June, I had no desire to move anywhere else -- though we briefly considered locating the company headquarters in Barcelona, Singapore or the United States. However, Sophia Antipolis is an excellent location for a company like ours because it is easy to find and employ researchers from the existing local talent pool. In addition, because Nice is a well-known European destination and the science park has a positive international reputation, people from Europe, India and other parts of the world are eager to come here and work."
http://www.asophia.com

Le 12/02/2001

Didier TYMEN
President and Chief Executive Officer - UDCAST

"Four of our five founders worked at the INRIA laboratory in Sophia Antipolis which, among other things, conducts research in computer science and information dissemination. When we founded UDcast in July 2000, they did not want to leave the area nor abandon their scientific and technological links with INRIA -- where they were involved in an R&D project concerning high-bandwidth transmission. In addition, the high-tech image of Sophia Antipolis is exportable throughout the world, especially in the United States and Japan, and this enables us to easily recruit candidates to work here."
http://www.UDcast.com

Le 29/01/2001

Yves VANNESTE
Co-founder and General Director - ANTHEA LANGUAGES

“Our purpose in opening an office at Sophia Antipolis was to be present in a dynamic setting which has won international renown for favoring start-ups in the IT sector. Sophia Antipolis is a “visiting card” that is immediately recognizable by professionals in California, Turin, Barcelona etc… Furthermore, the services we propose are highly appropriate to companies based in the technopolis, whose web-related activities and needs for international visibility require both localization and a global approach to communication.”

Le 22/01/2001

Daniel KAHN
Founder - KAHN & ASSOCIES

"We opened our first office outside Paris in Sophia Antipolis not only because the world£s leading technology providers have been migrating to the science park for decades. But also because this science park is now riding the wave of global entrepreneurial activity and has become an attractive alternative location to large European cities for high-tech and web economy multinationals. Sophia Antipolis is, in fact, a natural base for our operations as a leading full-service law firm dedicated to the high-tech sector. Our presence enables us to focus on client development in the technology and e-commerce sectors while enabling our lawyers to remain abreast of industry developments. Our full-service approach enables us to provide entrepreneurs with advice and assistance from the time a group of individuals has an idea for a new business through incorporation, the execution of a business plan, rounds of financing and a listing on a securities exchange. Along the way we can assist in the development of standard agreements, negotiate strategic commercial partnerships, fend off cybersquatters and deal with unfair competition claims."
http://www.kahnlaw.com

Le 28/11/2000

Jorg NONNENMACHER
PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder - CASTIFY NETWORKS

"The key founders of our company attended the Eurécom Institute in Sophia Antipolis and, though we thought of moving our operations to Silicon Valley, we decided that it made logistical sense to keep the company on the Côte d£Azur. We initially used the state-of-the-art technology at Eurécom to develop our Internet broadcasting expertise, but we moved into our offices at Sophia Antipolis when we received payment from our first client in August 2000. To date, we haven£t had any problems hiring the world£s top research and technical sales personnel because developers, both local and foreign, are eager to join a top team in the south of France. Nobody seems to complain that it£s only an hour to the ski slopes and less than half an hour to the beach."
http://www.castify.net

Le 15/11/2000

Thierry CHAMPOUSSIN
founder and chairman - EQUILIBRE ATTITUDE

"I was born in Antibes and love the Cote d£Azur. But if it made business sense for me to base our corporate operations elsewhere I would do so. However, the business environment and transport infrastructure in Sophia Antipolis is more than adequate for our requirements.

"We located our new headquarters and facilities, which are eight times larger than our former premises, in Sophia Antipolis because half of our employees live in the direction of Cannes and the other half live towards Nice."
http://www.equitude.com

Le 27/07/2000

Tadao OTSUKI
Site manager - TOYOTA EUROPE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT - ED²

"The most important factor in deciding to locate on the Côte d£Azur.... is that the overall environment truly inspires our designers." - Quotation in a "Time Magazine" article on the Sophia Antipolis science park.

Le 05/06/2000

Petteri HENG
Director of Network Security R&D and general manager - STONESOFT

"A growing number of engineers working on the Côte d£Azur seem to be considering professional moves from their current positions with £traditional£ telecommunications, computer and consulting companies to £new£ technology firms like ours which are involved in creating software and solutions for the online, mobile, Internet and ebusiness world."

Le 29/05/2000

Philippe DECAMP
Director of European Sales - SONICS INC. EUROPE

"Our European headquarters is based in Sophia Antipolis because it is close to many of our present and future clients -- including industry leaders like Texas Instruments, Infineon, Philips and ST Microelectronics -- and we can easily develop our European infrastructure from this location. We can also attract talented engineers to come work here from virtually anywhere in the world because of the reputed quality of life and the fact that English is widely spoken throughout the Côte d£Azur. In addition, our future researchers will be able to benefit from the synergy already underway amongst the area£s information technology, telecommunications and multimedia companies."
http://www.sonicsinc.com/

Le 20/04/2000

Thierry LANIER
Regional Director - UNILOG

"Sophia Antipolis and the Côte d'Azur is an ideal location for an information technology services group like UNILOG because it features a large diversity of well-known companies which are generally experiencing exceptional growth. In addition, the area has a very positive image which enables us to attract young and talented engineers for our workforce."

Le 10/04/2000

Gyorgy ENDERSZ
Chairman of ETSI SEC Technical Committee - ETSI

"It is now largely expected that electronic commerce will be one of the key drivers for the development of the global information society. The need to secure electronic transactions is really a key point in future developments of e-trading. The ETSI SEC technical committee is currently developing new standards in the electronic signature domain to prevent fraud and provide a secure and trustworthy e-commerce environment." -- Gyorgy Endersz, chairman of ETSI SEC Technical Committee.

Le 31/01/2000

Theo WEGBRANS
vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa - CISCO SYSTEMS

"We recruit engineers from the labor market on the Côte d£Azur because we find it has the highest concentration of data networking specialists in Europe. And that£s why all the big players -- like IBM, Lucent Technologies, Nortel Network, and others -- are located there."
http://www.cisco.fr

Le 18/10/1999

Petteri HENG
site director - STONESOFT

"This is an excellent location because we can easily recruit top talent for our specific software sector and we can quickly reach all of Europe£s main cities from the Nice airport without any problem."
Stonesoft, a Finnish software company specializing in "high-availability firewall" solutions for the Internet, has opened an R&D and product development unit in Sophia Antipolis.
http://www.stonesoft.com

Le 13/09/1999

Patrick AUBRY
Vice president of European Operations - LIONBRIDGE

"Our clients are multinationals who think 'networking' and base their sales strategy on the Internet. The Côte d'Azur and Sophia Antipolis are an ideal environment for the location of a company like Lionbridge because it is relatively easy to find personnel whom are both technically and linguistically competent.
Lionbridge, the U.S.-headquartered firm specializing in multilingual Internet services for global companies, is continuing to expand its project management facilities in Sophia Antipolis earmarked especially to multimedia, telecommunications and electronic media projects.
http://www.lionbridge.com/company/

Le 05/07/1999

Akihiro WADA
vice president of Toyota Motor Corporation - president of the Europe Design Development Center (ED²) - TOYOTA EUROPE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT - ED²

"Nice and Cannes give us access to different cultures which are important creative stimulants. We will evolve here in an international environment surrounded by the beauty of the Mediterranean and the Alps, not to mention the quality of the area£s transport infrastructure."

Le 15/03/1999

Sönke MEHRGARDT
president of Signal Processing Product Division, Semiconductor Group - SIEMENS - INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES FRANCE

"The expertise available on the Côte d£Azur, especially in the field of telecommunications, was a determining factor in our choice. The environment here is the closest thing in Europe to the Silicon Valley."
Germany£s Siemens group inaugurates its semi-conductor division£s European R&D Center in Sophia Antipolis which is now part of Infineon Technologies.
http://www.infineon.com/

Le 09/03/1999

Michel ROBIN
President of Siemens France - INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES FRANCE

"I would have been much less successful if I had asked them to come work in the Northern part of France." -- Michel Robin, the president of Siemens France, when asked by "Capital" magazine if it was difficult to recruit software engineers from California to work in the company's research and development laboratory in the Sophia Antipolis science park.
http://www.infineon.com/

Le 18/01/1999

Hiromi SUZUMURA
vice president of Toyota Motor Europe - TOYOTA EUROPE DESIGN DEVELOPMENT - ED²

"We were a very demanding client and C.A.D. offices in both Nice and Tokyo were patient, confidential and helpful while we cautiously selected a site for our $15 million European Design Center. They showed us sixteen different possible locations and their office in Japan worked hand-in-hand with our headquarters in Toyota City to provide a constant flow of information and key administrative assistance. As our project gets underway, both offices are maintaining a very close partnership with us."

Le 01/01/1999

Patrick SCAGLIA
vice president research of Cadence Labs - CADENCE DESIGN SYSTEMS

"Setting up a research lab poses a bit the same problem as growing truffles. Truffles don£t like to grow everywhere. They need special conditions. So does a research team. A good R&D center is not only based on the researchers technological excellence, it requires a certain chemistry, a synergy to create strength. So our main reason for opening our Cadence Lab on the Côte d£Azur was the people here. By "people", I mean both our ties with the CMA team at the Ecole des Mines with whom we have been collaborating for 8 years, as well as the specialized engineers available in this area£s high tech environment."
http://www.cadence.com/

Le 01/06/1998