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October 5 and 6,2010

PRESS PARTNERS

PARTNERS 2010

AEPI

Véronique PEQUIGNAT, Manager, International Business Investment

Biography

Véronique Pequignat is currently head of the international business investment department at AEPI, more specifically in charge of the Information Technology sector and the American market.

She has assisted Sun Microsystems, Entegris, Novellus, SOITEC among others, for their development in the region, and is currently active in establishing dialog and cooperation between Mico/nanoclusters of the regions of Albany(US), Dresden (Germany), and Grenoble.

She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the newly created Semi Europe Grenoble office.

Her mission is to foster and support R&D local partnerships, creation of French subsidiaries and promote the technological, research and industrial assets of the Grenoble Isère region.

At the beginning of her career, Ms. Pequignat worked for 12 years in the field of communication and strategic information for local authorities, then as Project Manager in charge of the Northern European market and IT sector at AEPI, from 1997 to 2005.

Véronique graduated in 1983 with a degree in Political Science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Grenoble, and in 1984 with a Master’s in information and communication techniques at Science Po Paris.

ARDI Rhône-Alpes

Bruno RAGUE, General Manager

Biography

Since the beginning of 2008, Bruno Ragué is the General Manager of the Regional Agency for Development and Innovation (ARDI). Prior to 2008 and during 9 months, Bruno Ragué carried out the project of creating ARDI through the merger of 7 organizations operating on technology transfer.

This agency is a tool of the Region and the State and supports the sustainable economic growth of Rhône-Alpes companies through innovation. ARDI Rhône-Alpes collaborates with companies to generate and support short, mid and long term innovative projects through the implementation of collective actions, collaborative projects of innovation and technology transfer projects.

Before being ARDI’s General Manager, Bruno Ragué carried out various missions for the CEA (French atomic energy commission): national director of the French association Jessica, director of the association GRETh, coordinator of the CEA’s technology spreading’s network. He was also in charge of the CEA-GRETh service.

Bruno Ragué graduated from the Grenoble Institute of Technology.

AXELERA

Denis BORTZMEYER, Président

Biography

Denis Bortzmeyer is the President of Axelera, the French competitiveness cluster in the field of chemistry and environment, since September 2009.

He worked ten years in research and development with the chemical group Rhône-Poulenc (ceramics, catalysts supports...) and during this time got his habilitation to supervise research (ceramic powder behaviour).

In 1998 he joined Atochem, now Arkema, where he performed various R&D management functions in inorganic chemistry. Since 2005 he his Head of Partnerships in the R&D Direction of Arkema, supervising the company's major collaborative R&D programs.

After engineering school (Ecole Polytechnique + Ecole des Mines de Paris) Denis Bortzmeyer got his PhD in continuum mechanics of ceramic materials.

BNP PARIBAS

Alain BERGER, Business Development Manager

Biography

A business development manager specialized in high-tech companies, Alain Berger has been advising regional start-ups since 1995: SMEs spun-off from Grenoble research labs, with strong venture-capital backing.

These 15 have allowed him to gain extensive experience and broaden his activity to include biotech companies, software development firms, and renewable-energy businesses and electronics firms.

Thanks to this experience, the BNP Paribas bank is known today as the innovation bank in the Grenoble area, by making available a full palette of services in its business center, Arc Alpine Enterprise, located near Grenoble in Montbonnot.

CCI Grenoble

Dominique LE GIGAN, Companies development director

Biography

Since november 2007 : Companies development director – Grenoble Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

2006 – 2007 : Various projects of company creation and purchasing.

1998 – 2006 : General manager of hightech companies in robotics and lab-automation for pharmaceutical research, and in large scale high precision metallic parts for aircraft and gas exploration industrie.

1985 – 1998 : R&D manager – Marketing development manager – World marketing & sales director – Quality control instrumentation for agrofood industry.

CENTRE NOVACITE

Gilles GAQUERE, Manager Innovation/Development

Biography

In 1994, Gilles GAQUERE became in charge of BIC Novacité, and Since 2005 has been the Department Head of Innovation & Development Activity.

From 1985 to 1990, Gilles GAQUERE was in charge of the Microwave Materials Department for Thomson CSF (now THALES). Upon graduating from the Lyons School of Management, he then joined the Lyon Chamber of Commerce as a consultant for sub-contracting companies.

He received an engineering degree in Chemistry in 1985 from the Engineering Schoof of Montpellier, as well as an MBA from the Lyons School of Management in 1991.

CERN

Claudio PARRINELLO, Head of Knowledge & Technology Transfer

Biography

In 2005 he joined CERN. Until the end of 2008, he held appointments in the Human Resources Department, with management responsibilities in the area of student and other visitor programs (1200 people per year), including EC-funded Marie Curie appointments.

In January 2009 he was appointed Head of Knowledge & Technology Tranfer.

A theoretical physicist, trained in Italy and in the USA, Dr. Parrinello held an academic research position in England until 1999. Following this, he set up a consulting firm in the Geneva area providing cost reduction services to European companies.

CREALYS, Incubateur Rhône-Alpes Ouest

Nadia KAMAL, Director

Biography

She began to work as a Life Science responsible business at CREALYS, Incubator Rhône West located in Lyon (FRANCE), before to become director of CREALYS in January 2006. In 10 years, CREALYS helped to the creation of more than 120 societies.

Nadia KAMAL is an Immunology PhD from University of Montpellier after obtaining an engineering DEA of protein and genome sequencing. Her PhD thesis allows her to be co-inventor of a patent operated by Biorad (ex Sanofi Diagnostics Pasteur). In parallel to her PhD, she realised a DESS at IAE (CAAE). Very interest in innovation and biotechnology, she moved to an economic laboratory so as to work in an European program context about innovation and biotechnologies systems in Europe.

DELOITTE

Dominique VALETTE, Partner

Biography

Dominique Valette is an audit partner specialized in TMT – Technology Media Telecommunications – and responsible for Region Rhône-Alpes audit practice.

Dominique has over 23 years of public accounting experience within Deloitte, particularly in manufacturing and high technology business with middle market companies. He serves a variety of publicly traded and privately held entities. He has participated in various French Technology IPO’s including Atari, Esker, Abel and Akka Technologies. His experience includes practice of International and US Accounting Standards, leading and coordinating audit for multinational clients.

His international background includes two years in the Deloitte Boston office, serving French and US High Technology clients located around the famous route 128.

He was also involved in the successful launch of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 in France, an international program recognizing the fastest-growing technology companies.

In addition, Dominique is treasurer of Fondation Scientifique de Lyon et du Sud Est, which amoung other, organize the BIOVISION forum.

Grenoble Ecole de Management

Sylvie BLANCO, Director of contractual research and Center for Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship

Biography

Since 2001, Sylvie Blanco is a full professor at Grenoble Ecole de Management in charge of contractual research and development activities in the field of innovation and techno-entrepreneurship. Sylvie participates regularly in executive training seminars and coaching, focussing on anticipation, entrepreneurial innovation and emergence of business opportunities.

She’s been working as a consultant in the creation and development of high-tech new ventures, especially in the field of microtechnologies.

Sylvie holds a PhD in business administration. Her thesis dealt with technological and market intelligence in high-tech firms.

I3P - Innovative Enterprise Incubator of Politecnico of Torino

Mario VITTONE, Director

Biography

Since 2002, Mario Vittone is director of I3P, the Innovative Companies Incubator of Politecnico of Torino.
Mario also hold a position as adjunct marketing professor at Politecnico di Torino.

I3P is Italy’s most important university-based enterprise incubator. I3P hosts start-ups with high growth potential, founded either by university researchers or entrepreneurs from beyond the university sphere.
In ten years, over 118 companies have been supported and coached at the incubator with more than 600 job places created, being offered office space, strategic and technical advisory services, and connexions with investors, partners and customers.

Prior to join I3P, Mario took several sales and management positions in electrical/electronic manufacturing industry (Moeller Electric, SIEI, Ghisalba).

Mario graduated at the Politecnico of Torino in Electrical Engineering.

INPG Entreprise SA

Henri-Marc MICHAUD, C.E.O

Biography

Henri-marc Michaud is CEO of INPG Entreprise SA since April 2004.

Founded in1991, INPG Entreprise SA is the private subsidiary of Grenoble Institute of Technology. It is dedicated to the promotion of the research activities and results of the Institute which counts 6 engineering schools recognised internationally for their excellence, 26 high-quality laboratories and 900 research experts. INPG Entreprise SA invests in early stage research-based and has a portfolio of 12 high potential companies.

Before working for INPG Entreprise SA, Hank served from 1992 to 2000 for Alcatel in the Optical Fiber Division in various operational positions in the production area. He used to work in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany and USA. From 2001 to 2003 he was General Manager of Uponor; business unit producing water, gas, twinwall telecom products.

Hank is an engineer from Grenoble INP. He has a Ph. D in materiel science defended in 1991.

LYONBIOPÔLE

Yves LAURENT, General Manager

Biography

Before his recent appointment, Yves Laurent was Director of the Christophe Mérieux Center - bioMérieux R&D Center in Molecular Biology and Microsystems located in Grenoble.

Yves was also formerly the Deputy Director of the Department of Advanced Technology of the same company.

From 1994 to 2003, Yves Laurent ran his own company: as the CEO, he set up and developed Genome express (DNA sequencing), become today Cogenics.

He has also a strong experience in sales, thanks to previous experiences with Sanofi and Applied Biosystems.

From 2001 to 2004, he was President of Arteb (Rhône-Alpes Agency for the Medicals technologies development and Biotechnologies).

Yves holds a DEA (French post graduate degree obtained after five years of university education) in Bio physical chemistry and Cell and Molecular Biology, Pharmacy University of Tours.

MINALOGIC

Nicolas LETERRIER, Chief representative

Biography

Since April 2006, Nicolas Leterrier is the Chief Representative of Minalogic, the global competitive cluster (Pole de competitivite) located in Grenoble, France. This cluster is actively working in the field of micro-nano technologies as well as embedded software to build collaborative projects between actors from industry, universities and public research centers.

Nicolas began his career in Paris working for Gaz de France and GFInformatique

In 1991, he joined ST Microelectronics as a software development engineer. After working in the US for data storage business development, he became manager of an application development group covering the field of Telecommunications, Automotive and computer peripherals.

He was nominated as SW development director for advanced multimedia product line in STMicroelectronics called Nomadik architecture. He managed teams in India and China in the scope of a software platform development. He worked to establish strategic partnership with major mobile phone providers.

He then joined KIS a French SME involved in the photo finishing business, to manage the R&D department.

Nicolas is graduated with a master of sciences of the Paris XI Orsay University and an engineering diploma from Ecole des Techniques du Génie Logiciel (software engineering).

MINATEC

Jean-Charles GUIBERT, Director of the Technology Transfer Office, CEA and Director of MINATEC

Biography

In October 2004, Jean-Charles Guibert was appointed Director for the Technology Transfer and Commercialization activities of CEA, a leading technological research organisation in Europe (15.000 staff, 3.3 B€ annual budget). This on-going responsibility covers strategic marketing, contracts, intellectual property and spin-off creation.

In addition, Jean-Charles was elected as Director of MINATEC in June 2008 by the steering committee. His first tasks will be to foster cross-exchanges between the different institutions within Minatec and to develop an international vision and recognition.

Jean -Charles is an expert for the European commission and national authorities for micro and nanotechnologies and at the board of different companies and non-profit organisations (Air Liquide Electronics System, Minatec Enterprises, CEA-Valorisation, incubator GRAIN 2, post-incubator PETALE...).
He is member of the scientific board of INRS (Institut National Recherche Scientifique) in Québec/Canada, UJF (Joseph FourierUniversity) and ARDI (Agence Rhone-Alpes du Développement et Innovation) in France.

Jean- Charles graduated in 1981 from Languedoc University 'Institut des Sciences de l'Ingénieur de Montpellier" in Materials science and then in 1983 from Strasbourg University "Ecole d'Application des Hauts Polymères" in Polymer science.

OSEO

Philippe KOCH, Alps regional Deputy Director

Biography

Philippe KOCH has been OSEO’s Regional Deputy Director in the Alps region (Isère, Savoie, Haute-Savoie) d’OSEO since January 2007.

OSEO was created in 2005 through the regrouping of the expertise of different companies and placed under the authority of the French Ministry of the Economy, Industry, and Employment, and the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research. OSEO’s mission is to support SME innovation and growth, the objective being to ensure greater continuity in the financing of their projects, thanks to the complementary nature of its three vocations: lending support to innovation, financing investments and the business cycle in partnership with the banks, and guaranteeing bank financing and raising capital stock.

He began his career in 1994 at ANVAR, the French Agency for Innovation, as a business development manager to assist businesses in their innovation process and R&D program financing. He then joined OSEO in 2005.

Philippe worked as Business development manager in the Limousine area (1994-1997), then in Alsace (1998-2000), where he contributed to the development of innovation in the different sectors in these areas and in the different stages of development of many businesses.

Appointed deputy director in 2000 in the Haute-Normandie department, then in Lorraine in 2005, he pursued ventures in innovation in these two areas.

He holds an engineering degree in Industrial Maintenance from ESSTIN (Nancy), which he obtained in 1993.

Région Rhône-Alpes

Jean-Louis GAGNAIRE, Member of Parliament from the Loire Department and Vice President of the Conseil Régional

Biography

Jean-Louis GAGNAIRE is a Member of Parliament from the Loire Department (since 2007) and Vice President of the Conseil Régional in charge of Economic Development, Industry, and SMEs (since 2004- re-elected in March 2010).

He has been a member of the Conseil Régional since March 1998 and was Conseiller Général of the Loire from 1998 to 2007, when he became a member of the French Parliament.

After studying Educational Sciences at the Institut Supérieur de Gestion Commerciale, he earned a degree in Public Administration from the Political Science Institute in Lyons. He was head guidance counselor in a high school in Saint Etienne until 2007.

Since 2004, he’s been dedicated to pragmatically improving the economic development tools of the Region with a large consensus between unions and economic players. As a result, the Rhône-Alps Region has been very active in creating industrial and economic infrastructures (such as clusters, techno-poles, sector-specific contracts) and contributes to the emergence of financial tools for the development and buyout of regional businesses.

Schneider Electric

Sylvain PAINEAU , R&D Partnerships & Valorisation Manager

Biography

Sylvain Paineau is with Schneider Electric since 2004 where he is in charge of managing innovation project portfolio and R&D partnerships. He is also coordinating strategic cooperation between Schneider Electric and a major European research centre.

He represents Schneider Electric in the “petale” committee, the Grenoble Alps Incubation organisation. He is also member of micro-nano evaluation and orientation committee of MINALOGIC competitiveness pole and member of ANR P3N evaluation committee.

He held several innovation management positions in the industry during these last 25 years and managed several R&D European projects.

He was in charge of MEMS lab in Thales (1997-2001) and more recently Marketing and Technical Director of PHS MEMS (2001-2004) a start-up in MEMS foundry business.

Sylvain Paineau holds an optronic engineering degree from Paris XI University.

Science Park EPFL

Jean-Philippe LALLEMENT, Managing Director

Biography

Jean-Philippe Lallement has over 20 years experience in entrepreneurship, general management and strategic consulting primarily within the Information and Communication Technology sectors.Since 2006, Jean-Philippe has advised numerous start-ups on their business development and fund-raising as business coach, board member and/or investor. He holds the positions of Managing Director of the EPFL Science Park, President of the SwissParks association, Chairman of Prediggo SA, and is a CTI Start-up coach.

He started his career in management consulting with McKinsey & Co and in investment banking at Crédit Agricole, then moved into corporate strategy and general management of worldwide business units at SITA, the global leader of telecommunication and IT services to the air-transport industry. He was instrumental in the set-up of a spin-off that reached € billions in revenues and market valuation, and then had responsibility over a €200 million business line.

In 2001 Jean-Philippe co-founded a start-up providing online monitoring solutions for industrial equipment, a permanent health-check of critical industrial installations used by a dozen multinational corporations. The company received several innovation awards and raised over €5 million in funding.

Jean-Philippe holds master degrees in IT / telecoms from Ecole Polytechnique and Telecom Paris in France, and an MBA from Insead.

STMicroelectronics

Dominique THOMAS, Director, R&D Cooperative Programs

Biography

He is with STMicroelectronics since 1999 were he has been in charge of managing and coordinating R&D projects, and is now also managing the cooperation between ST and 2 major European R&D institutes.

He is a member of the technology steering group of MEDEA+ since 2004, founder and former chair of the “micro-nano COE” a similar committee in the Minalogic Pole de Compétitivité, has been active in ENIAC (the European technology platform on Nanoelectronics) working groups between 2005 and 2008, and chairman of ENIAC/AENEAS support Group in 2008. He is also active in promoting internal and open innovation at ST.

Dr. Thomas has held several r&d management positions in the industry, during his 20+ year long carrier. He was visiting Scholar at Stanford University were he worked on optoelectronic devices (1989-1990). He was responsible for optoelectronic developments in Thomson-CSF (1991-1994). He was then Vice President and R&D Director of “Environnement SA”, a French SME and the leading European manufacturer of pollution monitoring equipment (1994-1999).

D. Thomas holds a engineering degree from Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau (France), and a PhD in Solid State Physics (semiconductors) from Paris XI University.

SUN Microsystems

Alban RICHARD, Responsible for Sun Directory Services engineering

Biography

Senior Engineering Director, Sun Directory Server Enterprise Edition,

Application Platform Software Division

Site Manager, Sun Microsystems Grenoble Engineering Center

Alban Richard is responsible for Sun Directory Services engineering,

including the world's leading LDAP solution, Sun's Directory Server

Enterprise Edition, as well as a brand new Java LDAP core server, Sun

OpenDS SE.

Alban is also Site Manager of the Sun Microsystems Grenoble

Engineering Center (GEC). GEC hosts over 150 Sun employees from

around the world, engaged mainly in software development, quality

engineering, product management, documentation, support, sustaining,

and marketing.

Alban has been with Sun Microsystems for more than 16 years,

including several years based at Sun's Menlo Park campus in

California. His experience is in engineering, product management and

marketing, P&L responsibilities and general management, with a

successful track record of innovation, having brought more than 30

Sun software products to market. In June, 2007 he was appointed to

his current role as Engineering Director for the Sun Directory

Services portfolio.

Alban holds a Masters degree in Computer Science from Marseilles

University, France.

TENERRDIS, Energy cluster

Françoise CHARBIT, Managing Director

Biography

Dr Françoise Charbit is the general manager of Tenerrdis, the first French cluster in Energy, since June 2009.

She was previously in charge of socio-economic foresight and strategy at CEA, the French Atomic Energy Commission. She has conducted detailed foresight analysis about innovative technologies for the health sector, the building sector and nanotechnologies, involving researchers and industrial companies.

She has led the activity “Foresight and Strategy” in the European Network of Excellence Nano2Life (FP6) coordinated by CEA, and has conducted a full programme to foster networking and roadmapping activities in the field of nanotechnologies for health and medicine.

She joined CEA in 1994 being the technology foresight manager of the Technological Research Division based in Grenoble. She has been as well in charge of technology watch and strategic planning for 3 years for a research department. In 2001 she has led the creation of an innovation center related to nanobiotechnology.

Her earlier working experience includes strategic planning and foresight consultancy, as well as materials science engineering in the microelectronics sector.

She holds an Engineering degree (1987) and a PhD in management (1991).

Ville de Grenoble - Grenoble Alpes Métropole

Geneviève FIORASO, Deputy mayor of Grenoble, in charge of Economy, Employment, Higher

Biography

Genevieve Fioraso, member of the French Parliament, deputy mayor in charge of Economy, Employment, University and Research, City of Grenoble, 1st vice-president of the Metro, the Grenoble urban area council (26 cities), in charge of economic development and CEO of the SEM Minatec Entreprises. Also, President of IAE (business school of the Social Sciences University of Grenoble).

Diversified professional former activities, all dedicated to development, both in public and private sectors: marketing manager, France Telecom (2000-2004), director of the Regional Agency for the development of digital research and industry in the Rhone-Alpes Region (1999-2000), director of cabinet for Michel Destot, mayor of Grenoble (1995-1999), deputy manager of Corys, a start-up from the French Nuclear Energy Commission (CEA of Grenoble), dedicated to software simulation and modelization (1989-1995), responsible of an association in charge of professional insertion, teacher in professional training organisms.

Committed in economic development, creation of industrial jobs with added value thanks to innovation.

XEROX Research Centre Europe

Irene MAXWELL, Communications Manager

Biography

Irene is responsible for the communications of research activities in Europe and a member of Xerox global corporate communications. Her everyday challenge lies in articulating the value of research to different audiences and stakeholders.

Her focus is on strategy and the role of communications in promoting the transfer of technology from the research laboratories. She has been involved in communicating a number of research projects which led to the creation of start-ups in the Rhône Alpes area. She develops PR strategies and programs to support collaborative projects and technology licensing.

For two years she led external communications on global technology services development, a strategic area of growth for the corporation.

Irene joined Xerox in 1993 and has been Communications Manager for the research centre since 1999.

She is a member of several professional communications networks and the Women in Science and Technology working group of the European Commission. Before joining Xerox she worked in teaching, translation and communications consultancy. She holds a B.A. in linguistics from Sussex University in the UK.