AEPI - Grenoble Isere Report - N°45 - March 2008

Stallergenes SA chooses Protein’eXpert
Stallergenes, a European biopharmaceutical laboratory, is counting on the recognized expertise and know-how of Protein’eXpert SA to speed up its Enhanced Allergens innovation programme, focusing on protein treatment for sublingual desensitisation of allergy to mites. Under the terms of the partnership signed by Stallergenes, in Paris, Protein’eXpert’s mission is to find new processes optimizing the existing production protocol, developing and scaling up fermentation, renaturation, and purification processes, and producing preclinical and clinical batches, thanks to its integrated subsidiary, PX’Pharma. It is a major challenge, as Philippe Moingeon, the scientific director of Stallergenes explains: “We hope very soon to be looking at a treatment for humans”. Nicolas Mouz, his counterpart at Protein’eXpert, is excited about the project: “Our expertise engineering and developing proteins for treatment enables us to take part in an innovative programme on immunotherapy for respiratory allergies and broadening our understanding of allergens.”

A.Raymond diversifies in Life Sciences
A Raymond is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of technical fixing solutions, designed in particular for the automotive industry. As a longstanding firm in the Grenoble area it is a familiar name too. But we will have to get used to lots of new names, such as ARaymondLife® and A Raymond Walraven. The A Raymond network, with its workforce of 3,200 employees and sales outlets in 20 countries, is still growing, inventing original fixing systems. This is refl ected in the launch of two new facilities, in Russia and India, and a new strategy to diversify into construction, farming (Raygreen®) and healthcare (animal identification and traceability, among others). At the end of July a new ARaymondLife® production unit will open near Grenoble to produce animal identification loops and rings, as well as a range of medical devices using Radio Frequency Identification technology.

Arjowiggins, the security paper expert
The Marketing and R&D departments of the papermaker Arjowiggins have just developed an invisible marking system that will enable firms to protect their products against illegal copying. After the fl ip-fl op effect (the iridescent ink changes colour depending on its angle to the light) and invisible pigments that show up under a UV lamp, here is the SpotTag. An Arjowiggins innovation, this invisible marker uses inks with secret properties that can only be seen under a special scanner. But at the same time it is so simple to use that there is no need to change print process. The market leader for security paper solutions has taken a new step forward, offering industry a new high-security solution for combating fraud. Illegal copying has hit many companies in the luxury business particularly hard, but it also eats into the profits of manufacturers of spare parts, drugs and fine wines

> N°45 < March 2008

Véronique Bouhafs-Blanchard, General Manager International Sites HP France

Hewlett Packard steps up development in Grenoble-Isère

Ranking as a global market leader for information technology, HP has just completed two major projects at its Grenoble-Isère sites: the launching of a supercalculator located at its premises in Eybens, available free of charge to all the members of the world class cluster Minalogic, and the enlargment of the data centre serving the markets of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, slated to come on line in May. Two major investments of HP for the Grenoble-Isere cluster.

How powerful is the Eybens cluster?
It focuses the skills of the 2,300 people who work there and their commitment to our strategy of innovating and developing HP’s core trade: digital data processing for business and the general public. For example, three-quarters of all SMS text messages worldwide are processed using technology made in Grenoble. So it is no coincidence that HP in Grenoble-Isère should choose to invest in these two projects. In our firm, when a competency has proved its worth, and is visible and recognized, we make good use of it! Just think, HP has about 100 competency centres worldwide, three of which are in France and two in Grenoble- Isère …

Tell us about the new Data Centre project?

The work modernizing the data processing centres at Isle d’Abeau and Eybens has given us an infrastructure that is unique in Europe with cutting edge technology occupying some 1,500 sq m in all. Of course we had to convince senior management that it was a good idea to locate this facility in Rhône-Alpes, but various key factors proved decisive: electricity prices, security conditions, environmental protection, accessibility and finally the double back-up between the two sites. This is possible because the two data centres

are linked by optic fiber. This investment, which amounts to $22m, will enable us to develop our outsourcing business, in response to an increasing tendency for major international firms to outsource their DP services..

What about the supercalculator?

The start of the 21st century is seeing another revolution in industry and technology, driven by processing power. It is essential to a growing number of sectors such as research, meteorology, medicine, automobiles and public transport. This new HP service, developed in partnership with Oxalya, enables us to meet the demands of companies that do not have sufficient processing power in-house to carry out sophisticated modelling, for instance. This service is available free of charge to all the members of Minalogic. But HP’s achievement goes even further. Later this year the system will be connected to another supercalculator due to be installed south of Paris, thus increasing calculation power threefold. The supercalculator is a real engine driving local economic development and research, a field in which HP is directly involved.

* i.e. 9 teraflops – 9 billion data calculation per second

bioMérieux growing in Grenoble

bioMérieux started working in Grenoble in 2006, when the Minatec centre opened, with a molecular biology and microsystems research unit.
Its decision to locate a production unit here confirms that it is definitely putting down roots in the area.

bioMérieux wanted to make its Christophe Mérieux centre in Grenoble a yardstick for global research in molecular biology and microsystems. The unit enjoys an exceptional scientific environment, with several innovative biotechnology firms in the immediate proximity and, of course, CEALeti with which bioMérieux has established a longstanding partnership.
To complement its R&D activities, bioMérieux has now decided to locate production of its molecular biology systems in Grenoble. This is the result of the transfer of all its molecular biology activities, currently located at Boxtel, Holland, due to be completed by the end of 2009. It fits into the larger context of the group’s drive to boost synergy with global centres of excellence for each of its fields of competency. Under this scheme in France, Grenoble will be specializing in molecular biology and Marcy l’Etoile, near Lyon, home to the company’s headquarters, will focus on microplate immune tests.

Codename MoSIG A new computer science masters course

Information technology is finding its way into every part of our lives, in all trades and fields of activity, all over the world. Grenoble is of course no exception, with IT playing a crucial role. The area has a particularly high concentration of engineers in industry, the universities and leading international firms. So it comes as no surprise to learn that Grenoble’s National Graduate School of Computing and Applied Mathematics (Ensimag) and Université Joseph Fourier (UJF) should be joining forces to offer a new twoyear course, entitled Master of Science in Informatics at Grenoble, or MoSIG for short.
“We want to make Grenoble THE international centre of excellence in computing,” says James Crowley, a lecturer at Ensimag and in charge of the MoSIG project. “There is great local potential in this field and the excellent reputation of local teams is well established. What we have to do is capitalize on existing know-how and skills to attract the world’s top students.”
The course will be taught in English, the universal language of computing, so as to be able to work with all international markets. During the first semester the syllabus consists of joint technical classes and language teaching. The second semester brings the start of specialization, with a team programming assignment, and training in oral and written presentation skills in English. During the second year students will specialize in parallel, distributed and embedded systems; mobile and interactive systems; graphics, vision and robotics; or information system security and encryption. The fourth and last semester is devoted to a project. The first intake of students will start work in September 2008.

For more information, see http://mosig.imag.fr

Software engineering boosting information technology in Grenoble-Isère

With more than 12,500 jobs in industry, 1,500 researchers and 2,200 degrees awarded every year, Grenoble-Isère is undoubtedly one of Europe’s main information technology centres. Its drawing power owes a lot to the active presence of top notch international firms, ranging from major system houses to highly specialized start-ups.
Grenoble’s software engineering community and its scientific assets offer complementary know-how and training to leverage development all the way up the value-added chain.

French computer science with the launch of the calculation laboratory at the National Polytechnical Institute (INP). It went on to found dynamic growth on its capacity for innovation and threepronged development model driven by industry, research and training. Leading computer service firms have settled here - Hewlett Packard has located the global headquarters for its OpenCall software offering in Grenoble-Isère, Bull-Echirolles is one of the group’s three research centres, alongside Phoenix and Paris) - and service companies such as France Telecom or CapGemini rub shoulders here with a very dense fabric of start-ups. The area also boasts high-grade private research: Sun Microsystems opened an R&D centre here in 1990; Xerox followed suit in 1993 with its Research Centre Europe (XRCE); joined by Yahoo! in 2004, when it took over Kelkoo. Grenoble has few big software publishers, but a multitude of small and medium enterprises catering for specialist technology niches and big purchasers who play a key role in the business. The variety of the industrial fabric and the active role of research refl ect a longstanding capacity for adapting to market forces.

Science and growth
Today Grenoble stands out for its scientific expertise in electronics, mathematics, biology and physics. Its established software-engineering know-how is the lynch pin of industrial applications in specialist fields such as modelling, simulation, automation, geographical information systems, and artificial intelligence. The National Institute of Applied Computer Research – Rhône-Alpes (Inria) is one of six research units in France that form the basis for partnerships with leading organizations and firms, while facilitating technology

transfer (271 programmes registered). By coupling scientific knowledge and IT production local companies publishing technical software can meet the advanced requirements of sectors such as simulation, biotechnology, physics or finance.

The virtuous circle of innovation
Known and recognized for its systems-onchip (SoC) thanks to the world-class Minalogic competitiveness centre, the Grenoble cluster is constantly attracting new skills, that help drive the virtuous circle of innovation. Every day brings further confirmation of Grenoble-Isère’s international stature in SoCs and more recently electronic design automation. Their applications are diversifying into open operating systems, communications protocols, middleware, real-time and ambient computing.
Training integrates this international dynamic. With 2,200 degrees awarded every year Grenoble trains more students and researchers in computing than micro and nanotechnology! With a highly qualified. workforce, a large range of players in the value chain, and powerful synergy between public and private research, Grenoble- Isère is stacking up its development assets, the better to prolong and consolidate a high-performance model driven by technology.

Joseph Sifakis wins 2007 Turing prize

A Grenoble-based researcher, Joseph Sifakis, has been awarded the 2007 Turing prize, alongside Edmund Clarke (Carnegie Mellon University) and Allen Emerson (University of Texas). This is the highest international distinction in computer science, awarded by the Association of Computing Machinery.
The first French person to win the prize, he made his name with research into real-time systems. In particular he invented the model-checking technique widely used in industry and founded the Verimag laboratory. His work helped promote these topics worldwide, organizing research in Europe and optimizing the conditions for the transfer to industry.

INRIA Grenoble – Rhône-Alpes building © INRIA / Photo C. Lebedinsky

Vienne 20 Centuries of History

With its historic centre and architectural heritage Vienne is one of the most highly prized and frequently visited places in Rhône-Alpes. For all those who appreciate art or archaeology, fine architecture and magnificent Roman buildings, a stay in the city by the riverside is not to be missed.

For several centuries Vienne was a major Gallo-Roman centre. It boasted a population of 30,000 people in the first century AD, equivalent to its present level. Famous for its splendour, grandeur and prosperity the town spread along both sides of the Rhône river, until the 4th century. Its economic importance was mainly due to the river, which runs down into the Mediterranean forming a natural trade route. In those days the port at Vienne was comparable in size and volume of trade to Rome itself.
Shops and business premises, dwellings, recreational activities – baths, libraries, games, etc. – and sumptuous mansions more akin to little palaces, were all located on the right bank. The left bank was the religious, administrative and cultural centre of the city.

In 1450 Vienne was absorbed into the kingdom of France. Its importance gradually declined, eclipsed by the development of Lyon and Grenoble, which became the administrative capital of Dauphiné.
As early as the 16th century Vienne’s prestigious past sparked the curiosity of scientists and archaeologists. The pace of excavation increased from the 18th to the early 20th century. Vienne now has four museums spanning 20 centuries of history in our local outpost of the Eternal City. It has a theatre, forum, Odeon, temple and massive column – referred to as la pyramide locally – all dating back to Romans, as well as a beautiful old cloister and several churches, a cathedral and monastery.
In all, the town boasts about 40 historic buildings, testimony to its rich history and well worth an attentive visit on account of their architectural and historic interest. Modern-day Vienne is barely half an hour’s drive down the motorway from Lyon, or Saint-Exupéry international airport. Well served by the road and motorway network, it plays a pivotal role in the western part of the Isére department bordering on the Rhône. It is a dynamic place (with 169 new companies started in 2006 alone), mainly in the service sector with a total of almost 1,400 firms. Vienne owes much of its global renown to its International Jazz Festival, which was started in 1980. An annual event, it will be playing from 27 June to 11 July this year..

For more information, see: www.vienne-tourisme.com
Tourist board contact: 33 (0)4 74 53 80 30

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