A major economic center

A dynamic and highly diversified economic fabric has helped Nantes to obtain impressive results. The Nantes area ranks 1st in France for food and shipbuilding, 3rd for aerospace and it is the 3rd financial market in the country. It is the leader in the West of France for services and has a strategically strong postion for wood and derivative materials. The most innovative sectors are also in the Nantes area and that includes biotechnology, health, information and communication technology as well as composites (leading area in gene therapy, the top French subcontracting centre in electronics).

These areas of excellence thrive on Nantes' first-rate higher 
education system and rapidly expanding research structures. Nantes is home to 2,200 researchers working in 200 laboratories. The Pays de la Loire region ranks 4th in France for registered patents.

It is no surprise that Nantes consistently ranks at the top of the charts comparing the most attractive city in Europe amongst the cities with less than 1 million people, according to a KPMG survey published in 2006! For more information, please consult our comprehensive overview of Nantes and the French West areas of 
excellence.

To know more, discover the panorama on the poles of excellence in Nantes and Western France.