Introduction

Grasse, the world center for natural products

Territorial competitiveness became a strategic issue for the economic and social future of regions and communities. Territories must achieve specific strategic positioning to strengthen their competitive advantage.

Thus the question is if the Pays de Grasse, with a glorious industrial past and a solid history of strong economic performance, can remain the land of the entrepreneur, a place of innovation, a site which welcomes and nurtures new business development.

For this reason, deliberations of the Communauté d’Agglomération Pôle Azur Provence and the Club des Entrepreneurs du Pays de Grasse resulted in the definition of the Natural Products World Observatory (O.M.N), now registered in the Contract de Plan Etat Région (C.P.E.R).

This initiative aims to consolidate the Grasse region’s positioning, clarify and underline its specialization and differentiation as "Grasse: Pôle Mondial du Naturel," or Grasse, the world center for natural products.

The initiative helps the region to refine and maximize its status as the pole of expertise in the use of natural botanic raw materials destined for the flavor, perfume, cosmetics, health, and nutrition industries, but also helps in researching and promoting its diversification (biotechnologies, NTIC, etc.).

The Natural Products World Observatory is, first and foremost, a strategy and a concept.

A territorial strategy which aims to reinforce economic dynamics through development of existing companies, while at the same time attracting new investors. Doing this involves:

• Capitalizing on savoir faire, strengthening expertise, promoting a defined image

• Creating appropriate conditions to welcome new businesses

• Seeking new forces to drive growth and bring new players to the market

A concept which must bring together, in a single location (at the heart of what is now the Roure industrial wasteland, once a flagship site in Grasse’s industrial history):

• an R & D center

• a technical-regulatory support center (or technological platform)

• an international center of higher education

• a business incubator for technology companies

• a conference center for congresses/shows/workshops

• an information exchange network (technological surveillance tool)

This is a decisive step to be taken to define new activity segments which could build the dynamic as a specialized industry center over the next ten years in the natural products sector. This transformation, this diversification, must necessarily be achieved through strong partnerships with research and innovation activities currently established outside of Grasse.

This project and all it is intended to accomplish is now in the implementation phase and naturally complement the goals and projects of the competitiveness pole, P.A.S.S. (Parfums, Arômes, Senteurs, Saveurs - Perfumes, Aromas, Scents, Flavors). An initial phase of this project is underway in the Roure industrial wasteland (4000m²), the heart of the region’s industrial heritage, and the perimeter will be defined over the course of the development of the St. Marc zone.