A rich ecosystem
You will find in Bretagne :
- A large pool of companies supplying components for the aerospace industry, made up of large groups (Safran Electronics & Defense, Thales, Naval Group, Nokia, Orange, Airbus Cybersecurity) and SMEs (Coriolis Composites, Novatech Technologie, Unseenlabs, Syrlinks).
- Research centres and units
- Innovation support structures.
The Breton ecosystem will enable you to find your future suppliers and partners for your R&D&I activities.
Key skills
The sector is mainly characterised by 3 fields of activity representing 68% of companies and 73% of jobs :
- Electronics (embedded, measurement and communication equipment) : 38 companies, 5,700 jobs.
- Shaping of metallic, polymer and composite materials (machining, stamping, FSW technology, foundry, moulds, injection, tooling) : 36 companies, + 1,900 jobs.
- Engineering, technical studies and software : 34 companies, 800 jobs.
The dynamics of innovation
More than half of the companies are involved in innovation programmes, mainly concerning products and processes.
Nearly 60% of companies devote more than 5% of their turnover to R&D and 30% even exceed 20% of their turnover.
Expert structures for innovation
- BreTel : a group dedicated to the development and use of space technologies and applications in Bretagne.
- Centre Technique Drone Ouest (CTDO) : test centre for the development of UAVs and test flights.
- Photonics Bretagne : innovation hub in photonics.
- Irispace : the Regional Institute for Space Innovation supports the development of space technologies and their applications in terms of research, training, innovation and uses.
- Institut Maupertuis : resource centre for innovative industrial technologies (welding and laser cutting, FSW, metal additive manufacturing).
High-performance support
The regional cluster Bretagne Aerospace, dedicated to the space and defence aeronautics sector, brings together Breton players (members), facilitates the emergence of new activities and promotes the sector. In collaboration with regional players, the cluster is also working on structuring the drone industry, developing FSW technology and innovative onboard electronic equipment.
Breizh Fab, as an accelerator for Breton industry, offers a range of solutions to help Breton SMEs integrate technological, organisational and environmental changes and thus gain in competitiveness.
Space : Bretagne strong position
Bretagne is present throughout the value chain : launchers, design of satellite parts, satellite data reception infrastructures, development of services and applications, particularly for maritime (civil and dual-use activities).
To develop the space sector, the Region relies on BreTel, its research centres (CMS, VIGISAT, LOPS) and a network of leading companies in their field (Unseenlabs, Syrlinks – part of Safran Electronics & Defense since 2022, Cailabs, Lumibird). Since 2019, the Region has strengthened its partnership with the CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales).
Space : European visibility
BreTel leads and federates the regional space ecosystem and promotes the sector at national and European level through its involvement in various networks :
Drone : Structuring the sector
Precision mechanics, sensors, composite structure, secure communication, data analysis, navigation, on-board systems… Bretagne has all the skills needed to structure a drone sector around regional players, alongside Bretagne Aerospace :
- CTDO accompanies players throughout their drone project and provides infrastructure and regulatory support for test flights, targeting telecoms, maritime, defence and precision agriculture applications.
- Sea Test Base (Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique) : sea test platform for the development of marine and underwater equipment, particularly for maritime drones.
