In a few figures, the Bordeaux metropolis is:

• 69,000 companies
• 450,000 jobs in the metropolis
• 61,000 jobs in the health sector
• 1st university hospital in France
• 1,200 invention patents

Nouvelle-Aquitaine and the metropolis have also experienced average annual growth in the digital economy for 10 years:

• 14.8% annual growth
• 3rd among French metropolises for the creation of digital businesses
• + 12,000 jobs created
• 2,500 companies
• 1,000 researchers
• 1st region of France in healthcare informatics

Without forgetting the breeding ground of students and universities:

• 180,000 students across the region
• 88,000 students and 11,000 researchers in Bordeaux
• 6 university centers
• 1 University of Bordeaux labeled "IDEX" Initiative of Excellence, program driven and supported by the State in order to develop R&D and internationalization

THIS YEAR, THE SPOTLIGHT IS ON TWO SECTORS OF EXCELLENCE:

The Bordeaux Convention Bureau presents reports on two new sectors of excellence in the region. These show the engineering and research capabilities of players in the region, focussing on innovations and featuring interviews with professionals. With local efforts driven by ambassadors for each sector, the city enjoys the status of a research centre recognised the world over.

WATER PURIFICATION: 

The Cycl’Eau congress for professionals took place in Bordeaux from 22 to 23 of March 2023 at the Palais 2 l’Atlantique. At the same time, the Village de l’Eau, held during the weekend of the Word Water Day, is intended to make water a key concern for the inhabitants of Bordeaux and the Gironde, by providing areas for information, learning and discovery. It took place in the Darwin Ecosystem.

• Water has been a major issue for the last twenty years. It is central to numerous scientific as well as political and economic issues. As a result, it is frequently mentioned in the media due to the consequences of global warming and water pollution, contributing to a high level of awareness.
• Summer 2022 was particularly marked by extreme weather events. These emphasise the effects of climate change, which are particularly severe in the South-West of France. It will be one of the worst affected areas in the years to come, and the water cycle will be greatly changed. Cycl’Eau and the Village de l’Eau are therefore part of an information and awareness campaign on these vital topics.

OPTICS-PHOTONICS-LASER :

The optics and laser industry is now internationally recognised for its excellence in several fields: high-energy lasers, hot-plasma physics, laser-plasma interaction and materials science.

• The ALPHA - Route des Lasers & des Hyperfréquences (ALPHA-RLH) competitiveness cluster, is one of five international competitiveness clusters located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It assists companies and laboratories in preparing, assessing and financing innovative projects involving photonics and microwave frequency technologies.
• The LAPHIA (Laser and Photonics in Aquitaine) excellence cluster aims to combine academic and industrial research units in innovative laser, imaging and materials projects, and originated at the University of Bordeaux. The PETawatt Aquitaine Laser + (PETAL +) facility of excellence (EquipEx) is also being built here. It is a civilian research instrument that will become a global benchmark for plasma physics, with plasma being created by high-power lasers.

HYPNOSIS AND BRIEF THERAPY

Hypnosis is one of the most extensively studied phenomena in the world. Contrary to popular belief, it is a specific mode of brain function that does not correspond to either a state of wakefulness or sleep.

Since the 1990s and the development of neuroimaging techniques (functional MRI and PET scans), the hypnotic state has been identified and authenticated as a unique brain process distinct from other states of consciousness.

More recently, in 2015, an INSERM team validated hypnotic practices for certain indications while confirming their safety when used by healthcare professionals within their field of expertise and within an ethical and deontological framework.

Medical and paramedical hypnosis is complementary to so-called "conventional" care, to which it never substitutes. It is suitable for all types of patients of all ages, for various indications, including psychotherapeutic and psychosomatic purposes, pain management, and anxiety relief.

In Bordeaux and the broader Nouvelle Aquitaine region, several healthcare institutions have been offering complementary care through hypnosis for several years.

SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY

Since 2020, Bordeaux Métropole has expanded its efforts to support the social and solidarity economy (SSE), a movement the city has backed 
for over 15 years. Bordeaux Métropole thus provides financial backing for SSE stakeholders, helping to imagine the economic model of the future. This ambition has been translated into 3 operational objectives: to develop a structured policy of support for priority sectors with a strong societal impact, to nurture a thriving SSE community, and to strengthen the public-sector ecosystem. In 2021, the Nouvelle Aquitaine regional chamber for the SSE published a review of the current 
state of the SSE in the metropolitan area of Bordeaux, finding that the SSE accounted for: 10% of salaried employment in the metropolis, with 34,240 full time equivalent employees working in 2,968 establishments.

Sources : www.bordeaux-metropole.fr/sites/METBXMETRO-DRUPAL/files/2023-05/CP-Bordeaux-villehote-7eme-forum-ESS-2023-05-12.pdf 
www.bordeaux-metropole.fr/metropole/projetsen-cours/developpement-economique-innovation/
economie-sociale-solidaire

The Bordeaux Ambassadors Club

Created in 2007, this program initiated by the Bordeaux Convention Bureau has now more than 350 members belonging to the scientific and academic sphere of Bordeaux. These ambassadors represent Bordeaux to national and international associations and constitute an essential link for hosting large-scale congresses and exhibitions in the region.