Innovation and Innovation Policy in France
Innovation and Innovation Policy in France 
Overview of Innovation Policy
Many policy efforts have been deployed in France these last years to face innovation challenges. One of the major challenges in France deals with the need to increase synergies between public and private research with a view to increase the private sector expenditure on R&D. Indeed, with 2.08% of its GDP devoted to R&D expenditure in 2007, France continues to proportionally reduce its R&D expenses and to move away from the 3% Lisbon objective (2010), both in terms of the overall rate and in terms of the distribution between private and public expenditure. The other major challenge deals with the need to foster innovation in SMEs as well as supporting existing innovative SMEs in their growth. According to national statistics, there are 2.5 million SMEs in France that is to say 97.6% of all enterprises representing 6.9 millions employees.
In order to tackle the French challenges, these innovation policy actors, mainly at the national level but also at the regional level, have recently developed or reinforce an array of support measures. New support measures have been created (the competitiveness clusters) and other have been reinforces (research tax credit). A strong emphasis was given to SMEs with an increased funding devoted to the OESO agency.
The policy efforts of the French actors have come along with several major changes in the course of the last years in terms of innovation policy governance.
The implementation aspects of the policies are increasingly falling into the agencies responsibilities. From 2005, and in order to separate the steering of research and innovation policy from its implementation and effective support, agencies were given a larger place in the French system. Two main agencies, the National Agency for Research (ANR) created in 2005 and OSEO, the SME agency are today dealing with research and innovation. This change in policy governance was a trial and error process since one of the newly created agency (AII) was soon merged with OSEO. Taking over the AII responsibilities, which has been created to support large-scale industrial project, OSEO now evolves towards larger and developing enterprises. Other actors, the Regional councils tend to gain powers over the years. Some Regional councils, of which the large innovative regions (Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur and Rhone Alpes) as well as smaller regions (Aquitaine, Bretagne for instance) have started to design comprehensive innovation support policies.
In terms of governance, France is also developing a more systematic evaluation of its policies. Several major pieces of the innovation policy has been evaluated (Support to projects by Young innovative enterprises, FR58), Research tax credit (CIR, FR109), the competitiveness clusters, the national competition for the creation of new-technology based firm (FR11) or the regional incubators structure (FR12).
France has, for the very first time in 2009, launched a work to define a national strategy for research and innovation that should ground future budgetary decisions. The strategy that must be ready by June 2009 shall be based on proposals of several thematic groups gathering private and public research and innovation actors as well as representatives from the civil society. The strategy shall also take into account the result of a large internet public consultation. This type of exercise is completely new and may produce new policy orientations.
| Annual Country Reports |
 Country report 2009 for France
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| Country report 2008 for France
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| Country report 2007 for France
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| Country Report 2006 for France
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| Country Report 2005 for France
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| Country Report France September 2004
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| France - Trend Chart Country Report, September 2003
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| France - Trend Chart Country Report, March 2003
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| France - Trend Chart Country Report, October 2002
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| France - Trend Chart Theme-specific Country Report, May 2002
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| France - Trend Chart Country Report, November 2001
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| France Trend Chart Country report June 2001
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| France Trend Chart Country Report Dec 2000
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| France Country Report, June 2000, GSO approved
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| Latest TrendChart Deliverables |
| The SME Pact: liaising innovative SMEs and public procurement in France |
| Workshop Briefing France 13_2006 |
| Workshop Briefing France 11_2006 |
| Workshop Briefing France 10_2006 |
| Workshop Briefing France 9_2005 |
| New Support Measures |
 FR 123 Strategic Investment Funds (FSI) |
| FR 124 Small Business Act |
| FR 125 SMEs dual innovation projects (RAPID) |
| FR 119 Competitiveness clusters policy 2.0 |
| FR 35 Co-investment funds for young enterprises |
Who Is Who
Senior Official(s) for France
Christine Mischler
Correspondents for France
Patrick Eparvier
Leonor Rivoire
Elisabeth Zaparucha
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Innovation Performance
Performance in Innovation Scoreboard 2008Find Out More
List of relevant websites
