Research in Midi-Pyrenees: remarkable resources

Midi-Pyrenees is one of the four first regions in France for research as public than private, and which was measured in terms of jobs or of expenses. This report illustrates the weight that the activities of research have, today, in the regional economy.

Indeed, in Midi-Pyrenees, more than 20,200 people — including 12,790 researchers - practise an activity of research and development: 8,900 in public research and 11,300 in private one. These actors are distributed in our highest establishments of research (CNRS, INRA, INSERM, CNES, ONERA...), in our universities and engineering schools (SUPAERO, ENSICA, ENAC, ENIT...) but also in our biggest regional companies (EADS Airbus, Siemens, Sanofi, Alcatel, Pierre Fabre, Freescale, Thales, Astrium, Latécoère, Actia, Ratier Figeac...).

The public research in Midi-Pyrenees is rather concentrated on the sciences of matter, i.e. sciences of universe (natural environment, astronomy, astrophysics), the sciences of engineers (mechanics of fluids, engineering of processes...) and the sciences and technology of information and communication (IT, automatics, treatment of signal...).

The private research is mainly concentrated on the sector of aeronautics and space engineering, the sector of equipments for radio, tele and communiocation, and the sector of pharmaceutical industries.

Thus Midi-Pyrenees is placed 1^st French region for investments in research in terms of regional GDP (investments/regional GDP = 3.7 % in Midi-Pyrénées, against 3.2% for Ile-de-France and 2.1% for France) 

• Leading region in France outside of the Paris area for the proportion of researchers in the population
  
  
• 2^nd most important region in France outside of the Paris area for the proportion of public R&D researchers in the population (17.9 for 10,000 inhabitants)
  
  
• Leading French region for the proportion of engineering diplomas (77 for 100,000 inhabitants)
  
  
• 3^rd most important region in France for the number of doctoral dissertation defended in propotion to the population