Choose France 2024: the summit of all records

Since its launch in 2018, the Choose France Summit is “a key annual economic event in the agenda of industry professionals and international investors”. The French Government’s website explains that the Summit helps “bring value to all French territories and assets for business leaders and foreign partners”. The Summit has also turned into the perfect place for important announcements to build or extend projects each year.

Job-creating projects in strategic industries

With three key announcements: 15 billion euros in foreign investments, 56 company-creation projects and 10,000 potential jobs created, this year’s Choose France Summit beat all records.

As the delegated ministry in charge of attractiveness explains, most projects are included “in the priorities of the government to maintain the reindustrialisation of France”. It’s a way to “position the country at the heart of production in strategic sectors”, and more specifically in several main sectors such as health, the environment or new technologies. In the 56 announcements, the ministry highlighted the projects of the four major foreign industrial groups most job creation potential. The most significant examples include:

• MICROSOFT (USA), plans a “4 billion euros investment, currently the most significant in the country”, to support French growth in the new economy of Artificial Intelligence;
• PFIZER (USA), wants to invest over 500 million euros in France over the next five years “in ambitious partnerships between the public and private sector focused on innovation”;
• AMAZON (USA), has announced an upcoming investment over 1.2 billion euros in France that should create over 3,000 direct jobs in permanent contracts;
• ASTRAZENECA (UK), plans a 365 million euros investment to extend its site in Dunkerque, and the creation of 100 additional jobs.

Projects with French research

More projects have a direct relation with French research. It’s the case of three projects from other groups:

• ACCENTURE (Ireland), that announced the opening of two generative artificial intelligence centres in Paris and Sophia-Antipolis. This investment benefits centres of academic and university excellence (Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Sciences Po, ESSEC, Inria), among others. According to the press kit dedicated to the event, it should contribute to “turn France into a leader in Artificial Intelligence in Europe”;
• IBM (USA), plans the extension IBM France Lab Paris-Saclay missions focused on quantum computing, with a 45 million euros investment and the recruitment of 50 researchers and engineers in less than a year in France. The objective is to contribute to strengthen “the French quantum ecosystem through education, the development of tech usage development and collaborative research”;
• NOVARTIS (Switzerland), announced its intention to invest in France, with the creation of a production unit to supply in France the “the first vectored radio therapy for cancer treatment”. This investment, in association with the Grenoble Laue-Langevin Institute, an international research entity, should ensure “almost all the production line of this drug in France”.

French creations on the subject of sports

This new edition of Choose France also focused on the subject “France, land of champions”. To also highlight French expertise in sports, Choose France also mentioned the main events all over the year 2024 in France, starting with the Olympic and Paralympic Games held in Paris.

This subject was at the heart of two presentations: first, the Olympic medals lent by Games Organising Committee. These medals, designed by Maison Chaumet from the LVMH group and made with bronze, silver or gold, all have at their core “a genuine piece of the Eiffel Tower”, the symbol of Paris and France. in addition to this presentation, an exhibition of the work of ten companies was held to unveil innovations implemented in the premises of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and in the equipment used by athletes.

Explore more: 

- On the French presidency website

- On the French government website

- on the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs website