A major region for entrepreneurship

The Rhône-Alpes Region has developed an environment which facilitates the creation, transfer, and above all the development of enterprises within its territory. Every business sector is involved, including artisans, retailing, established industrial sectors and new leading-edge sectors such as biotechnology and digital technology.
The aims are to inspire people to become entrepreneurs, support new ventures, encourage the creation of new businesses and support those which already exist, in order to generate additional jobs, additional sources of income and additional economic growth.

 A range of tools for enterprise creation

The Region has introduced various forms of financial aid to provide capital to entrepreneurs and help them access bank finance.
It has also developed a range of measures to assist innovative enterprises, so that they are supported from the initial idea right through to finalisation of their product. This support is aimed at financing strategically significant projects.
In addition to these tools, the Region also offers support which helps startup companies become firmly established and monitors their progress in the early years, with established entrepreneurs acting as mentors.

Building existing enterprises

The Region has developed a range of special measures to help enterprises to expand and to sustain their activities. These include specific programmes aimed at increasing the competitiveness of enterprises, improving their management of human resources, or helping them develop at an international level.

 Help in taking over an enterprise

Approximately 50,000 businesses will be transferred to new owners during the next 10 years. The Rhône-Alpes Region works in several ways to support those who take over existing businesses, such as facilitating access to bank finance or providing help in developing a business takeover plan as part of the Action collective repreneurs initiative. Furthermore, to ensure that no success advantage is overlooked, the Region has launched a website dedicated to the transfer and takeover of enterprises in the Rhône-Alpes region : www.reprendre-en-rhonealpes.fr
In every case, "local" is the key word in regional policy towards enterprise creation and transfer. Wherever they are, anyone who creates or takes over an enterprise will find, at local level, the structures necessary to implement their plan.