Hervé Fradet is a firm believer in the idea of synergy. As the director of the Agency for Studies and Promotion of Isère, he has seen at first hand how the close interaction between universities, research centres and large multinationals has helped transform Grenoble, a former Alpine garrison town, into a technology hotspot in the heart of the Rhône-Alpes region.

The city is home to the highest concentration of engineers in France. More than 50,000 students attend the region’s 10 engineering schools, including the Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble and the Université Joseph Fourier. It is also a world-class research centre, with a number of public and private institutes leading cutting-edge research in areas ranging from nanotechnology to solar energy cells.