An Aug. 8, 2013 article by Emma Stoye for the Royal Scoiety’s (UK) Chemistry World online magazine mentions France’s investment in a public private partnership called Nano 2017 (Note: A link has been removed),
French prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has announced plans to invest €600 million (£516 million) in a five year nanotechnology R&D programme led by French-Italian semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics (ST).
The Nano2017 programme follows on from Nano2012, a similar public-private initiative launched by Jacques Chirac in 2007.
An Aug. 2, 2013 news item on the Nanotechnology Industries Association website provides more details,
On July 22 [2013] the French government unveiled in Grenoble a new research and development programme entitled ‘Nano 2017’. It succeeds to the 2009 programme, ‘Nano 2012’, which was worth EUR 2.3 billion.
In Grenoble, the French Prime Minister visited the micro and nanotechnologies campus, Minatec and STMicroelectronics’ Crolles site. Together with the minister for Higher Education and Research, the minister for Small and Medium Enterprises, Innovation, and the Digital Economy, and the minister for Industrial Renewal, he launched ‘Nano 2017’, a EUR 3.5 billion public-private partnership specifically dedicated to nanotechnologies for superconductors.
Céline Aubert’s July 23, 2013 French language article for France 3 Alpes provides some insight into the political situation,
En visite à Crolles lundi 22 juillet, le premier ministre Jean-Marc Ayrault a dévoilé le nouveau programme de Recherche & Développement des nanotechnologies. “Nano 2017”. Plus de 3 milliards d’euros devraient être engagés.
Pas un, ni deux… mais quatre ministres pour lancer “Nano 2017”. Le chef du gouvernement, Jean-Marc Ayrault, le ministre du Redressement productif Arnaud Montebourg, Fleur Pellerin la ministre déléguée chargée des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises, de l’Innovation et de l’Economie numérique. Et enfin, Geneviève Fioraso, ministre de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche.
On dit que François Hollande a demandé à ses ministres de ne pas prendre de vacances cet été. En voilà la preuve.
I particularly like that 2nd paragraph, “Not one, not two…but four ministers to announce “Nano 2017” followed by the last line I’ve excerpted stating government ministers are not taking holidays this summer with this turnout being proof.
For some more specifics on the dollars and the various agencies involved, there’s the July 23, 2013 news item on telecompaper,
The state [France] plans to invest EUR 600 million in the programme which falls under the European Commission’s ‘Airbus of Chips’ EUR 10 billion, 7-year initiative to double the region’s production of lower-cost, smarter chips. ST, Grenoble’s Leti institute and IBM will collaborate on nanotech research. ST will invest EUR 1.3 billion to double the capacity of its fab in Crolles to 7,000 silicon wafers a week.
The first phase Nano 2012 created 100 jobs, in this next phase, Nano 2017, authorities have promised 600 jobs will be created.