« The spin-offs of the ITER program »

The site :
ITER will be built on 180 hectares at Saint-Paul-lès-Durance (the Pays d'Aix community, known as the CPA), 40 kilometres north of Aix-en-Provence (25 minutes away), on an intermediate site of the CEA (atomic energy research and development centre) at Cadarache (4.300 inhabitants on 900 hectares).

Employment spin-offs :
During the construction phase (2005-2015), 500 people in Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur (PACA), will be directly employed by ITER. At the same time the project should generate 3000 indirect jobs in France of which 1400 will be in the PACA region.

During the operational phase (2015-2035), ITER should directly employ 1000 people on average: 600 for actual working operations and 400 scientists. This phase should generate 3250 indirect jobs in France amongst which 2400 jobs in the PACA region.

The economic impact: the figures
According to estimations from the Institute for Public Economics, ITER spending in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region benefits around half the household consumer sector and half the industrial sub-contractor sector.

During construction, they will represent a total amount of around 1 billion euros.

For the next twenty years of operation, these studies have forecasted an annual spending amount of around 165 million euros in France, of which 135 million euros will go to the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region.

The spin-offs for local companies :
Large sectors implicated: :
- Construction and Engineering,
- Electricity,
- Electro mechanics,
- Services,
- Food-processing,
- Mechanics,
- Electronics,
- Electro technology.


Preparing the regional industrial fabric:
In order to ensure the reception of ITER and its suppliers and partners but equally to optimize the spin-offs for the regional economic fabric, joint activities will be set up to prepare companies.

These first activities concern:
- Identifying the largest suppliers for ITER and setting up contacts with regional companies,
- Constituting data bases: ITER technological fields, tenders, index of local companies, listing on-site requirements, a local institutional base…
- Training regional companies for European tenders,
- Establishing an " ITER Enterprise " site allowing for circulation of information, tenders, capability exchanges, and support for installation of companies,
- Organizing an inter-company forum in the spring of 2005.

The scientific spin-offs:
The project is in a position to promote rapid technological and scientific growth in the area. Apart from what it implies for the nuclear path, setting it up means putting into effect very demanding techniques (such as creating exceptionally resistant materials, to ensure maximum security as well as for extreme situations) and a concentration of the most specialized know-how in current research.

ITER, international research platform:
- One thousand scientists hosted. - A place for training and international meetings. - Reinforcement of co-operation with Universities, and the implication of the CNRS (National centre for scientific research) in the project. - Local Impact on Universities: options to be developed or bolstered. To set up or develop a company, contact Pays d'Aix Development on +33 (0) 4 42 17 02 32 or implantation@provence-pad.com

ITER Information : www.iter.org     www.itercad.org     www.agglo-paysdaix.fr