Invest and Trade in Occitanie
A strategic location, at the heart of Southern Europe, a springboard to reach the Mediterranean marketsA strategic location at the heart of the Mediterranean arc, in border with Spain, bordering the PACA region, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes and Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region.
- 2nd largest region of France, larger than Ireland, twice the size of Catalonia
- 72 724 km², 13 departments
- 1st French region of mainland France for population growth
- 5.8 million inhabitants, among the top 5 in France for population density
- 2.2 million jobs
- 1st French region for its rate of business creation. GDP in the top 20 at European level (152 billion), strongest GDP growth in France
- Foreign investment: 3rd French region hosting projects in 2017; 5th French region in terms of jobs
- 3rd student area in France, nearly 230.000 students
- 1st French region for R&D expenditure (5.6 billion/year), 29.400 research workers
- 4th tourist area in France, with 30 million tourists per year
Multimodal and efficient transport facilities
- 9 airports including 3 international airports (Toulouse, Tarbes, Montpellier)
- 8 highways
- 2 rolling motorways: from Luxemburg to Le Boulou and since 2005 from Port de Sète to Paris
- 2 high-speed rail lines: Montpellier-Paris (3h30), Perpignan-Figueras
- 3 maritime trade ports, 5 fishing ports, 3 river ports, the Rhône canal in Sète and the Canal du Midi
- 1 « dry port », the domestic terminal of Barcelona’s port authorities
- 4 multimodal platforms
Leading sectors in the region
Aeronautics and space
- World leader in civil aeronautics
- 86.000 direct jobs in aeronautics and space
- Presence of 3 European aircraft manufacturers: Airbus (world headquarters), ATR, Daher
- Leading European region for space and space applications
- 25% of the European workforce in space industry
Digital, electronics and embedded systems
- 4th region in France for ICT: 62.500 jobs in 18.500 companies
- 2 digital business cluster: FrenchSouthDigital and Digital Place
- 2 certifications « Métropoles French Tech » (Toulouse and Montpellier)
- 1 cluster on robotics: RoboticsPlace
Agriculture and Food Industry
- Largest wine-growing area in the world for wines with a controlled denomination of origin
- Leading organic region in France (largest organic-farmed area)
- 2nd French region for meat production
- 3rd region for fruit and vegetable production
- 3rd agri-food region with 7.000 farming settlements
- Leading region for products under label of quality and origin
Health - Biotechs
- Over 240.000 jobs in the health sector, including 24.000 in the health industry
- 3 University Hospital Centers: Toulouse, Montpellier, Nimes
- Oncopole Toulouse: unique site in Europe fully dedicated to cancer fight
- Strong position on key segments: diagnosis, medical devices, ageing,
Eco-activities (water, waste, eco-materials)
- 22.500 jobs, 2.150 companies
Renewable energies
- 2nd French region for the production of renewable energies
- 2nd region in photovoltaic production, 2nd in hydroelectric
- 3rd in wind and 5th in biomass production
- 1st region in the development potential of offshore floating wind power
Intelligent transport systems
- 2 clusters: Mipyrail Innovation and Automotech cluster
- 7.000 jobs in the rail sector
- Over 11.000 industrial jobs in the automotive sector
- 37.000 service jobs in the automotive sector
Logistics and transport
- Almost 61.000 jobs in more than 6.300 businesses
Tourism - Nautism - Thermal Spa
- 4th most popular French region for tourism
- 4th region for tourism-related jobs: 108.000
- 1st thermal area for the number of establishments: 166.000 visitors
- €14 billion income from tourism
- 6,600 jobs in the nautical industry
- Leading region for the manufacture of cruising catamarans
Our activities
- Attract national and international investment throughout the Occitanie region
- Facilitate the establishment and development of companies in the region
- Promote the region and its economic assets
Our services to Investors
- Unique interface for your project
- Customized land and real estate research
- Industry expertise
- Strategic, legal and accounting advice
- Linking with a network of regional skills and economic actors in your sector
- Simplification of procedures
- Recruitment assistance and customized training
- Help with the professional and residential mobility of employees
- Financial engineering and support to mobilize regional, national or European aid
A concentration of brainpower
Higher education
- 35 prestigious Higher Education Institutions
- 2 federal universities in Toulouse and Montpellier
as well as universities spread across the territory - Two of the oldest French universities
- 3rd student area in France – nearly 230.000 students
- Toulouse Business School and Montpellier Business School
in the top 10 business schools - Presence of Toulouse veterinary school (only 4 such establishments in France)
R&D and technology transfer
- 35 prestigious Higher Education Institutions
- 2 federal universities in Toulouse and Montpellier
as well as universities spread across the territory - Two of the oldest French universities
- 3rd student area in France – nearly 230.000 students
- Toulouse Business School and Montpellier Business School
in the top 10 business schools - Presence of Toulouse veterinary school (only 4 such establishments in France)
A great place to live, study and work
- Toulouse and Montpellier in the top 4 of the most popular French cities to work and to study
- Toulouse in the top 50 of the most popular university cities in the world
- Over 290.000 foreign residents
- 34 consulates or consular offices
- International educational institutions from primary to university level
Local opportunities
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