In 2005 they have invested in both companies

The 2005 review of the Direction of the technology, which has to be made public, spends long developments on measures for the creation of innovative enterprises, which some are in their seventh edition. This is the case of the national contest of assistance the creation of innovative technology companies. With each year a budget of EUR 30 million, the competition has attracted, in 2005, 1.120 nominations which 178 were rewarded, is a rate of close to 16, slightly higher than selection years. The number of candidates, such as the number of winners, is on the other hand steadily declining since 1999. The Department attributed the decline to a better understanding of the objectives of the competition and greater selectivity of the jury. Can still ask if do not also see the evidence that the search for a country the size of the France can give material only to a limited number of designs each year. In proportion to what is observed in the United States, a hundred designs per year would be already Honourable. Quite predictably, it is the Ile-de-France, followed by Rhône-Alpes and Paca, providing the largest contingents of candidates and winners.

An encouraging survival rate

Since its establishment in 1999, the competition gave rise to the creation of 786 companies, 666 are still in activity. More than 68 of the established enterprises in 2000 spent five years Cape, which shows that the companies selected by the competition are more resistant to classic since companies 50 of the latter disappear in five years. It must however make a flat to this conclusion. In fact, 20 of the winning companies are active in biotechnology, a sector in the

particularly slow economic metabolism. Bring a first product beyond the proof of concept, necessary condition for its sale and licence, is often more than five years. It must therefore average these companies more time to those telecoms or computer to see if they have a future. Their survival rate is therefore not necessarily higher and this slightly skews the findings on the average population of winning companies.

The question of funding remains the main problem for these companies. One wonders if the 11 seed (6 regional and 5 national) funds, created from 1999, played really their role, since they have invested only in 106 companies and 80 of the cases before the end of 2002. In 2005, they have invested in both companies. A discharge, the difficulty out of the capital of the companies (only 9 outputs voluntary) led to reinvest in second round table, which was not their purpose.

Reduced workforce

Side taxation, exemptions from social charges, related to the status of young innovative company, involved 1,600 companies and 8,200 jobs for an amount of EUR 50 million.

The staff of these companies, aided by the Ministry of research, still very light: 60 of them do not exceed the 4 people and 5 only more than 15. It no doubt is the ransom of high establishment rate referred to above. Too many of these companies created are based on fragile foundations and on the shoulders of one person, sentenced to the role of Decouflé initially. Not so easy to grow. Help them become medium-sized enterprises is the next goal that should bind the public authorities.