When Team Sophia works
to welcome the World...

40 years ago, Pierre Laffitte was behind the creation of the IASP (International Association of Science Parks) network. In 2024 the network has more than 400 members of all sizes in 80 countries across 5 continents. In terms of entrepreneurial scope the network promotes an ecosystem of 115,000 companies. The technology park recently reactivated its links with IASP. What is your international strategy and positioning ambition?

Alexandre Follot: At the beginning of November we welcomed delegates from the IASP network who made an initial exploratory visit and began to get a feel for the science park. Hosting this conference is a major opportunity to reinforce the visibility and appeal of Sophia Antipolis, both internationally and in France. Our strategy for some time has been to reposition Sophia as a leader in its field and to do this we are using three main levers. Firstly, a resolutely integrated approach. The Communauté d'Agglomération's economic development departments, SYMISA (Syndicat Mixte Sophia Antipolis) and the Sophia Antipolis Foundation are all working closely to promote the ecosystem. Then, in more concrete terms, the alpha cluster project currently underway will integrate incubators, part of EURECOM, the Business Pole and the Foundation and so bring together the most exhaustive possible overview of everything that makes up Sophia's DNA. The building will be delivered next year. The third lever is this recent rapprochement with the network and the forthcoming Congress. We're going to be welcoming the world to Sophia Antipolis. And we want people to know that.

Philippe Servetti: Sophia Antipolis was the driving force behind the creation of the world network of science parks, so it was only natural that the Foundation, which is a member of the network, should apply to become a candidate following the Luxembourg Congress in 2023. This is part of the integrated strategy that Alexandre is talking about and the Foundation has been restructured along these lines with new resources and an expanded team. In this Team Sophia - Foundation, CASA, SYMISA, ecosystem - the Sophia Antipolis Foundation plays the role of the technology park's Foreign Affairs Ministry. The team's roadmap is organised around three main pillars: the IASP network, the structuring of strategic alliances with regions that are similar to ours and a policy of attracting international talent. The fact that we recently reactivated our links with the IASP network helped us to secure the hosting of the World Congress in 2026, which will be an international showcase for our region. To tell the truth, it wasn't easy! We submitted an application in the spring, among 21 other bids. We were shortlisted alongside the science parks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and Edmonton, Canada. The final push came at the end of September in Nairobi, where we formally defended our bid during the network's 2024 Congress. The whole of Team Sophia was on hand to promote the technology park's bid. The vote took place at the General Assembly on the last day of the Congress. It was difficult to predict the result because all the paid-up members of the IASP network present were able to vote and the outcome of the ballot depended on who came to the General Meeting on the day.

Alexandre Follot: I'm used to saying that the selection process is a bit like the Olympics. In a way, I think it's a good image, as Sophia has just won the Technology Park Olympics.

What format will the event take?

Alexandre Follot: The conference is being organised over three days, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, by the IASP network itself. There is no third party organiser, the IASP network is in charge. In the two days leading up to the conference, Monday and Tuesday, Team Sophia is in charge and the aim at the start of the week is to get the ecosystem involved as much as possible by organising several collaborative highlights so that conference participants can discover the technology park at its heart. Running the event over a whole week means we can include two weekends, which is also strategic. The entire tech world will be coming to Sophia.

The aim is for this to benefit the local ecosystem in terms of economic spin-offs, and for reciprocal strategic partnerships to be formed or strengthened. At this year's conference in Nairobi over 800 people attended. Sophia is expected to welcome 1,000 delegates. Hotel and catering professionals will also be fully involved.

Philippe Servetti: What we're trying to do is position Sophia as a regional brand, with the aim of making it the benchmark for Tech for Humanity / Tech for Good. Everything to do with technologies that respond to the planet's major challenges will be at the heart of the Congress. This positioning will be the guiding principle that is currently being calibrated with the network's organising team. IASP also wants to take advantage of this opportunity to mark a visible renewal in the very concept of the event. They want to make 2026 a landmark event.

What are you expecting from the ecosystem?

Alexandre Follot: The economic model for such an approach can only be based on an intelligent mix of public and private investment, with strategic alignment to promote the region. The ecosystem has an important role to play in Team Sophia and many players already have this collective spirit.

Philippe Servetti: The more united and coordinated we are in preparing for this conference, the more leverage we'll have, and ultimately the more spin-offs we'll achieve. The event is really designed to bring together Sophia Antipolis-based companies, laboratories and institutions, with the aim of establishing strategic international partnerships. This year we signed a partnership agreement with the world's largest science park, Research Triangle Park in North Carolina. We are also stepping up our collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, via the Talent Entrance and internship programme that we have developed in collaboration with Sophia Antipolis-based companies and research laboratories. At the end of November, we signed an agreement with the London Innovation Hub... This groundwork is now becoming visible and is continuing... Companies wishing to support this approach can become involved through sponsorship, as part of their ESG policy. Several companies have already committed to this approach, often on a multi-year basis. GSF, Travel Planet, Amadeus, Wallester, CG Finance, Arthur Loyd, Locopro... We would like to thank them sincerely...

There's no doubt about it. We know how to play collectively at Sophia. ICAIR, Telecom Valley, the SAFE cluster, Aktantis... Proof that competition can be healthy for a common goal that goes beyond each individual. It's also a sign that businesses are fully part of the political landscape...