Electronics can legitimately draw on the measures of the “France Relance” plan

On September 3, the Prime Minister presented the “France Relance” plan, a roadmap “for the economic, social and ecological rebuilding of the country”. The objective of this 100 billion euro plan is to build the France of 2030. The electronics industry will be able to find here and there measures in its favor.

Ecology, competitiveness and cohesion are the three priorities of the plan: “The recovery will be green, social and territorial. It will strengthen our economic sovereignty and our technological independence,” said the Prime Minister. This plan is of course not sectoral, but the electronics industry will be able to benefit from the many multisectoral measures it includes and sometimes from measures specific to our profession (see complete document).

1 billion for the relocation of industrial production in the territories

For example, the recovery plan devotes 1 billion euros to industrial relocation: 600 M€ to support investment in 5 strategic sectors including electronics and 400 M€ to promote the development of industrial projects in territories. The challenge is to support investments that will allow France to ensure its economic and technological independence.

Thus an envelope of €600 million between now and 2022, including €100 million from 2020, will be mobilized to support more specifically targeted investments in the following five strategic sectors: health, critical inputs for industry, electronics, food and industrial applications of 5G.

A fund of €400 million over the 2020-2022 period, including €150 million from 2020, has been created to support industrial investment projects in the regions. The approach is jointly led by the State and the Regions and coordinated within the framework of the Territoires d’industrie program. The financial instruction will be carried out by Bpifrance.

Investing in future technologies

The fourth future investment program (PIA) known as PIA 4, with a size of 20 billion euros over 2021-2025, will mobilize 11 billion euros as part of the recovery plan by 2022 to support innovation and in particular investment in future technologies.

Aiming to accelerate innovation in all sectors, the PIA 4 will intervene to finance exceptional investments in a few industrial sectors or technologies of the future: digital technologies, medical research and health industries, low-carbon energies, responsible agriculture and food sovereignty, sustainable transport and mobility, cities of tomorrow, digital education, cultural and creative industries. It also aims to guarantee long-term and predictable structural funding for higher education, research and innovation ecosystems, “to make France the most fertile ground in Europe for researchers and entrepreneurs”.

Finally, the PIA4 will also intervene in equity, to support the structuring and growth of the financing market for innovative companies, through direct, generalist or thematic investment funds, or funds of funds. These funds are intended to cover a proven failure or insufficiency of market financing, in all segments of private equity, from pre-seed to growth capital, including seed and venture capital.

3.7 billion euros to support start-ups and strategic digital technologies

The recovery plan aims in particular to strengthen our digital sovereignty, both through greater mastery of strategic digital technologies and through support for the development of our start-ups, for a total amount of 3.7 billion euros over two years.

The recovery plan will support the implementation of the new phase of the French Tech strategy, based mainly on two objectives: fostering the emergence and success of the new post-crisis generation of start-ups and accelerating growth of start-ups to bring out world leaders.

In this context, the PIA 4 will devote a 60% increase in innovation aid intended each year for French Tech for a total of €800 million (€400 million per year); €500 million over 2 years (2.5 billion over 5 years) will be devoted to supporting fundraising, and in particular the most important fundraising. Finally, 2.4 billion will be devoted to breakthrough digital technologies in which France considers it essential to be a player in global competition: quantum, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, cloud, digital health, etc. These plans will be the subject of specific presentations in the coming weeks.

In addition, an envelope of €385 million should make it possible to accelerate the digital transformation of our VSEs, SMEs and ETIs, whether to support the furthest companies towards digital opportunities or to accelerate the adoption of technologies related to the industry of the future and artificial intelligence. Finally, nearly €200 million will be devoted to accelerating the digitization of the aeronautics and automotive sectors in the support plans dedicated to them.

Prophesse cited as an example of projects supported by the PIA

Prophesee is the inventor of some of the most advanced neuromorphic vision systems in the world. Its Metavision artificial intelligence sensors and algorithms, protected by 51 patents, open a new era in artificial vision by drawing inspiration from the functioning of the eye and the brain. Prophesee sensors continuously perceive the essential visual information of movement in the scene, pixel by pixel, as our retinal photosensitive cells do. This new category of so-called "event-based" vision makes it possible to overcome the limitations imposed by standard cameras which traditionally capture 24 images per second and to achieve unprecedented levels of performance and safety for autonomous vehicles, connected objects or even industry 4.0. These developments benefited from PIA support of €11.7 million.

“France Recovery” plan file