Our partners
Istres, well known on account of the Air Force Base that is part of the French and European strategic initiative with the longest runway in Europe, has decided to partner with the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropole to provide fresh momentum for the highly dynamic aeronautical ecosystem by developing the new Jean Sarrail Hub. The authorities are supporting industries and their employees by providing offerings of housing and customised leisure activities.
Istres has a lot going for it and has been developing mainstream projects in order to boost local economic potential. The harbour in Istres is soon to be extended and will offer mooring facilities for 340 boats in addition to being entirely renovated and become a "clean harbour". A ferry service will enable commuters to reach Marignane very quickly across the Berre seawater lake. World class golf links with an 18 and a 9 hole course, sponsored by Jack Nicklaus, a well known golfer, in addition to an extensive hotel offering for tourists and businessmen have been programmed.
In 2014, the Bouches-du-Rhône County Council made a financial contribution for acquiring the Mercure Assembly Hall.
Closely involved with the new ways of using air services, the Région Sud Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur has embraced an innovative territorial marketing approach. The Regional authorities are supporting the development of air applications in the fields of observation, detection, surveillance, rescue, telecommunications and heavy cargo transportation according to a sustainable development model.
The «Istres-Jean-Sarrail» Hub is becoming part of the Regional Operations Initiative (ROI) in connection with "logistics and sustainable mobility" and "the industry of tomorrow".
The Metropole comprises 92 town authorities, 1.8 million inhabitants and was set up on 1st January 2016.
Associated with the leading port in the Mediterranean and connected to a carefully crafted network of logistic infrastructures and platforms, the Metropole is turning out to be a EuroMediterranean decision hub for world class trade. The Euromediterranean Regional Operations Initiative is set to provide high value added world class services in addition to being Europe's most comprehensive city centre urban renewal endeavour.
The Metropole is basing it's development drive on a diversified economy, an industrial fabric, centres of excellence in the fields of higher education and research in addition to ten competitivity hubs. Château-Gombert, Luminy and l'Arbois are the three technology campuses linking corporate endeavour, research and higher education and have become valuable assets for supporting innovative projects.
Here we have strategic initiatives that are generating growth for the Metropole's Economic Development Agenda that will seek to improve the quality of life of local inhabitants in terms of sustainable development, commuting, housing, trade and of course employment. The aeronautical and mechanical engineering industry is already one of the six priority activities for development across the entire Metropole.
The aeronautical hub will be home to the AIRSHIP Village project and be the industrial nerve centre for the AIRSHIP industry of tomorrow as planned by the "Transport and Industry of the Future" programme to be managed by the SAFE Cluster competitivity hub under the aegis of the Ministry of the Economy .
Provence Promotion is the economic development agency of the Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence and the Arles area. It has been supporting companies seeking to invest in Provence for over 20 years and been providing this service on a confidential and free of charge basis. It has been tasked with detecting potential investors from outside the area and deploying all the resources needed for doing business here (finding real estate, funding, staff recruitment and enhancing support for mobility, etc...).
