Marine-focused research at the heart of business
DCN
- In Brest, DCN employs 3 200 people including a significant number of technicians and engineers. The biggest organisation on the Atlantic seaboard, DCN is responsible for the maintenance of armed nuclear submarines (SNLEs) belonging to France’s Strategic Ocean-going Force and of their missiles. It also ensures operational maintenance and modernisation of surface vessels and their weapons systems, development and construction of heavy tonnage combat ships (aircraft carriers, command and control vessels, etc.), provision of support services and logistics for the naval base, provision of industrial and harbour infrastructure and supply of ship spares. DCN undertakes research and development In association with its other engineering sites, notably that in Lorient – developing general naval architecture, carrying out new developments, managing shipbuilding operations, integrating complex embedded systems, and conducting harbour and sea trials.
- In Lorient, 1 500 people are employed in industrialisation projects and surface vessel construction – from 1 000 t corvette to 8 000 t frigate. DCN engineering has the largest of the group’s engineering sites based in Lorient: 450 people work on preliminary and detailed designs of surface vessels and submarines. Ships designed and built in Lorient, such as the frigate La Fayette, are destined not only for the French national navy but also for foreign markets. The FREMM programme is run in collaboration with the Italian navy.
Thales-Brest
founded in 1963, specialises today in the design of airborne and undersea electronic systems. The company has developed high-tech expertise aimed principally at export markets.
- Thales Airborne Systems researches maritime reconnaissance and surveillance systems for use in sea search and rescue missions, customs and excise surveillance, monitoring of fishing, commercial shipping and also military operations. For the purposes of research, TAS signs framework agreements with ENSIETA for work on signal processing for maritime applications, modelling and software, with ENIB and the Centre Européen de Réalité Virtuelle (European Centre for Virtual Reality Studies) for work on hyperfrequency, with ENSTB on modelling and optimisation of complex systems factoring in human involvement, and with ISEN. These agreements facilitate research outsourcing, thesis supervision and joint submissions for research contract tendering.
- Thales Underwater Systems is developing a research and development capability in sonar-based technology for coastal and undersea safety. In Brest, TUS designs and manufactures anti-mine systems, helicopter-installed dipping sonar (Flash), sonar buoy processing systems for maritime reconnaissance planes, winch/towing systems for all anti-submarine systems and powerful transmitters and electronics for all THALES US sonar.
Veolia Environnement
devotes 110 million euros to research and development involving almost 600 researchers based at three sites. It undertakes the following studies linked to the Maritime Cluster subject areas
- Anjou Recherche at Maisons-Laffitte (78) focuses principally on water and purification with a major emphasis being placed on modelling and the use of simulation tools.
- CREED (Centre for Environment, Energy and Waste research) in Limay (78) undertakes around 70 research programmes each year.
A network of companies, SMEs and consultancies, some of them created out of research, is involved in developing tools and instrumentation for oceanography and environmental forecasting and monitoring, in developing fishing gear, and also in biotechnology research.
The following are among those companies whose activities constitute a significant research and development capability
- Actimar in Brest carries out ocean meteorology and designs and develops operational systems for oceanography and high-resolution remote sensing.
- Atlantide in Brest and Rennes is a new technology company specialising in physical oceanography, ecosystem modelling, marine geophysics and undersea acoustic propagation.
- Boost Technologies in Brest is a consultancy offering specialist services in remote observation of the marine environment. It was created in 2002 as a result of collaborative research between ENSTB and IFREMER.
- CODIF International in Saint Malo is an applied biotechnology research lab working on marine products and offering new active constituents for use in the cosmetics, nutrition and pharmaceutical sectors.
- C.RIS Pharma in Saint Malo provides services to pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food-processing groups. It is developing in-house pharmaceutical research into treatments for humans suffering from cancer and metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as veterinary research into the detection of pathogens – viruses and bacteria.
- Goémar in Saint Malo is a biotechnology lab working on essential and applied research based on marine organisms and aimed at perfecting molecules destined for use in the field of human and plant health.
- Innova Proteomics in Rennes, within the context of OUEST Génopôle, uses a high-speed proteomics analysis facility for the identification and isolation of new peptides. It specialises in researching new molecules to combat infection.
- IXSea in Brest is developing positioning systems for navigation of surface and undersea vessels and positioning remotely operated and autonomous undersea robots. IXSea has produced the first gyrocompass based on fibre optic technology, now the standard product available on the market, and the first global positioning system for sea and undersea applications.
- Martec in Guidel specialises in electronics and telecommunications in extreme environments. The Martec Group, which ranks among the market leaders for distress beacons, designs and manufactures oceanographic floats and buoys carrying instrumentation.
- NKE in Hennebont, already well known in sailing circles for its navigation instruments, is developing instruments for oceanography, non-invasive inspection techniques, estuarine water monitoring, etc.
- Plastimo in Lorient designs and manufactures safety equipment for navigation and leisure boating, integrating innovative synthesised materials perfected by an in-house R&D team.
- Seamer in Brest is an environmental consultancy firm, working in marine and river hydraulics, which emerged from specialist research in coastal hydrodynamics and mathematical modelling.
- Sercel is a leading group in the manufacture of geophysical equipment for the oil and gas industries. Its base in Brest (ORCA Instrumentation) specialises in undersea and surface acoustic equipment and data capture and processing for scientific and industrial purposes.
- Thales Information Systems, the group services branch of THALES, applies its expertise to the field of engineering and development of IT products. In relation to maritime safety, THALES IS is developing solutions for scientific databases, man/machine interfaces, information systems – real-time, embedded, data processing and visualisation, marine cartography, shipping monitoring and industrial – local networks, and operational maintenance of information systems.
