Clermont Auvergne Métropole is home to not one, not two, but seven sectors of excellence! From cutting-edge university training to industrial locomotives, gas pedals, incubators and competitiveness clusters, the region offers the conditions necessary for companies to flourish in seven major sectors of activity

Clermont-Ferrand alchemy

What if competitiveness, inventiveness and daring were a question of mixology?
In a single region – Clermont Auvergne Métropole, by chance – mix 350 university courses, 47 research facilities, 4 international research centers and 25,000 companies of all sizes. Add to the mix 4 “campus des métiers et des qualifications” (campuses for trades and qualifications) linking secondary and higher education with companies, 3 competitiveness clusters and 2 clusters. Sprinkle in a well-established local networking culture.
Shake it up, let it do its thing, and you’ve got yourself seven fields of excellence!

01

Sustainable mobility industry

Clermont is the birthplace of the emblematic Michelin group, which revolutionized mobility over a century ago. It’s also where the sustainable, low-carbon mobility of the future is being invented. As the standard-bearer for this sector of excellence, the GCK Group develops electric batteries, hydrogen engines and retrofitting technologies. It is in Lempdes and on the Charade racetrack in the south-west of the metropolis that this trailblazer has chosen to set up its sustainable mobility research platform. A development supported by the dynamic Clermont-Ferrand area, which is multiplying and supporting cutting-edge projects. A case in point? The deployment of a green hydrogen distribution network with Hympulsion and its ” Zero Emission Valley” public-private clean mobility project . In another mode, ACC-M, a century-old specialist in train, tramway and metro maintenance, is pursuing its transition activities, renovating its historic site in the heart of Clermont-Ferrand. The region is just as well equipped to rise to the occasion, with its “aeronautics and space” campus for trades and qualifications. This center of excellence, run by Clermont’s Roger-Claustres high school and theSigma engineering school, brings together secondary and higher education, companies and research laboratories, focusing on innovative materials, on-board systems, augmented maintenance and innovation for a sustainable aeronautics and space industry.

02

Renewable energies

Supporting an industry of excellence in renewable energies when you’ve been awarded the “Positive Energy Territory” label? Elementary for Clermont Auvergne Métropole! Thanks to a synergy cultivated between academic institutions, innovative companies and public policies, the Metropole is positioned as a key player in France’s energy transition. As such, it plays a key role in accelerating the progress of green technologies. At the forefront of this forward-looking sector are leaders such as :

03

Circular economy and sustainable materials

The materials industry is an integral part of Clermont Auvergne Métropole’s industrial tradition. The result? All-round synergies between small and medium-sized subcontractors, innovative start-ups and major local groups. This, of course, fosters innovation with a view to developing more sustainable materials for a more circular economy. A concrete example of this is the Centre des Matériaux Durables (sustainable materials center), which will emerge from the Michelin wasteland in 2024, at the heart of the Parc Cataroux, a former Michelin site currently undergoing a complete transformation. It is home to Capillum, the world’s first hair recycling and recovery facility! It’s here that the Green Tech-labeled start-up transports 15 tons of hair a month, then transforms it into mulch mats for the garden or a depollution solution. It also pursues R&D projects with the Université Clermont Auvergne, the Institut de Chimie de Clermont-Ferrand and Vetagro Sup, the Lycée Agricole de Marmilhat and INRA. On the same site, Carbios, a cleantech start-up based in Clermont-Ferrand, is revolutionizing the biorecycling of complex plastic bottles and textiles. Equipped with an industrial demonstrator on the Cataroux site, it is in the process of rolling out across the Grand Est region, but is determined to keep its R&D roots in Clermont.

04

Food industry

In one of Europe’s richest regions, this sector of excellence is a natural fit. It draws its strength from the training of tomorrow’s researchers at six colleges whose renown extends beyond the region’s borders, and from the local presence ofINRAE and its 850 researchers. The Vegepolys Valley competitiveness cluster is responsible for fostering links between research and industry. At the other end of the chain, companies such as Cruzilles, Auvergne’s last traditional confectionery factory, and Limagrain, one of the world’s leading seed producers, as well as major groups and cooperatives such as Lactalis, the Mousquetaires group, the Candia and Theix dairies and the société laitière des volcans d’Auvergne. Charcuteries and cheeses also have their champions in Clermont with Distriporc and Limoujoux. The result? A fertile ecosystem for improving the performance of agricultural production systems, with a common goal: to meet tomorrow’s environmental and food challenges.

05

Engineering and technologies of the future

Digital technology, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence: the technologies of the future are key to tomorrow’s industry. This emerging sector is in a consolidation phase in the metropolitan area. It is already home to an abundance of innovative start-ups and international locomotives specializing in process engineering, 3D printing, data mining and digital transformation consulting(Phimeca, Agaetis, Innoprod, Lojelis…) In the role of conductor, the Cimes competitiveness cluster is energizing the Industry 4.0 sector. To its credit? The European Block4coop project, supported by the Metropole, has improved the efficiency of production, decision-making and traceability processes in local SMEs.

06

Health and well-being

What if the future of health and well-being was being played out here, in the Clermont-Ferrand metropolitan area? The region’s healthcare sector is already well developed, with major pharmaceutical laboratories(Dômes Pharma and its Europhartech production site, and Théa), cutting-edge companies such as Quantel Médical, and structuring networks such as the Groupement des industriels du médicament d’Auvergne (GIMRA). Leaders in healthcare research have also chosen Clermont: Analgesia, France’s first foundation dedicated to cutting-edge pain research, works closely with laboratories at the Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA). Or the canceropôle Clara, specialized in research into rare cancers: in partnership with the Metropole, it fosters work between researchers, doctors and patients to develop suitable treatments and speed them to market. Not to mention the 500 researchers at Clermont Auvergne Métropole’s university hospital (CHU ). Thanks to this active ecosystem, the metropolis is home to pioneering initiatives such as the creation of a national pain observatory, and the One Health partnership initiative launched by Vegepolys Valley, which brings together players in human, animal and environmental health in their quest for common solutions.

07

Cultural and creative industries

The Metropole offers a unique resonance chamber for creative activity. In the wake of the region’s cultural ambitions, spearheaded by the International Short Film Festival and the Comédie Scène Nationale, numerous companies have chosen to set up and grow in the area to take advantage of the living environment and opportunities offered to them. Among the most emblematic, Allegorithmic has become the world leader in 3D texturing with its Substance software, included in the Adobe suite. Another key player is the audiovisual production studio Riot House, which exports its know-how internationally. The same quest for quality and sustainable responsibility drives other key players: Picture or La Californie Française in textile design, Biscuit production or HMWK Production in music/image design…