Electronics Industry
Output for the French electronics industry fell by a further 1.8% in 2007, and followed declines of 4.8%, 2.4% and 5.6% in 2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively. Since the peak of 2000 output for the French electronics industry has fallen by 41% and with the migration of production to low cost locations continuing and combined with the weakening domestic and global market production is expected to fall further in both 2008 and 2009, according to market research report Electronics Industry in France.
The French electronics industry continues to be dominated by the production of fixed and wireless communications, the two product groups accounting for 30.6% of total output in 2007, down from around 37% at the height of the boom in 2000. The country is also a leading producer of radar, navigation and defence electronics output accounting for 19.3% of the total in 2007, the segment reporting growth of 7.5% during the year.
Nanotechnology
Prior to the implementation of the present nanotechnology programme, France already possessed a strong research capability in nanotechnology within its universities and CNRS laboratories, and a reasonable record in transferring technology from research into the commercial arena. In recent years, micro and nanotechnology research centres of competence have been coordinated, and the French research structure for nanotechnology is now based around a group of centres of excellence. Annual expenditure on nanosciences and nanotechnologies now amounts to approximately €150M per annum.
The CNRS, France's largest research organization, covers the field of Micro and nano structures, nanofabrication methods, and nanobiotechnology.