Champagne-Ardenne Development
The Champagne-Ardenne region offers many advantages. Setting up and operating costs are among the lowest in the north-east quarter of France. There is an available pool of dedicated and efficient manpower. Local taxation is favorable and land and real estate costs are lower than the national average.
Moreover, the region has a solid technological foundation. It hosts the global “Industries and Agro-Resources” cluster, which is dedicated to the non-nutritional optimization of natural resources and offers centers of excellence which group together industrial players and public and private sector research laboratories, including the world renowned Regional Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer (CRITT) specialized in the metal and surface coatings sectors. Finally, over 35 000 students are enrolled in further education in the region’s 2 universities, 3 engineering schools (including the only European engineering school specialized in packaging), and 2 business schools.
The Champagne-Ardenne region has 900 foreign companies, including 200 industrial groups, that employ a total of 35 000 salaried staff. In 2006, foreign investment inflows into the region led to the creation of 1 143 jobs and put the region in 4th position in France in terms of job creation per head of working population.