Rennes, France: A Closer Look

U.S. investment in Bretagne mapIs your company interested in getting on this investment map and joining the other U.S. companies who have expanded abroad? Keep reading for information about our upcoming trade mission.

Major Industries

Education and Workforce

Capital of the Brittany region, Rennes is a hub for education for over 63,000 students in all fields including art, graphic design, engineering, computer science and law. A number of the city’s universities have existing relationships with Rochester including The National Institute of Applied Sciences of Rennes (INSA) with the Rochester Institute of Technology and the University of Rennes II and the Institute for Applied Arts (LISAA) with Nazareth College of Rochester. The University of Rennes II houses the Rennes International Center for the Study of French as a Foreign Language (CIREFE), one of the top accredited institutions for learning French in the country.

The young, skilled population afforded by these universities and others furnishes the region with a trained, ready workforce in the region’s major industries and has made the region strong in R&D and innovation. To give one lighthearted example of Rennes’ creativity, innovators from its Advanced Mobile Applications (AMA) organization introduced the first French game for Google Glass in August 2014.

Moreover, Rennes’ location on the Northwest tip of France allows convenient access to Paris, London, Brussels and other business centers giving innovative initiatives a greater potential to grow and thrive.

 

icon qual of life Quality of Life

Consistently rated among the top places to live in France by publications like L’Express, Rennes is proud to offer a high quality of life to its inhabitants.

Foremost, the city holds a distinct cultural identity with roots in the rich, Celtic heritage of its Breton history, a cultural identity that shines through in its architecture, local cuisine and community pride. The Saturday morning market in the city’s Place de Lices provides the perfect illustration. The second largest open air market in France, le marché de Place de Lices hosts hundreds of vendors offering French products like cheeses and wines alongside traditional, regional specialties including oysters, buckwheat crepes and cider. Surrounded by historic cross-timber houses and not far from the last remaining segment of the city’s medieval stone wall, the setting is uniquely Breton.

Elsewhere, across the city, public pools and sports facilities host over 300 sports associations and provide recreation for city residents. A number of parks, namely the Parc du Thabor, provide the same with networks of walking trails among flowerbeds, wooded areas and fountains.

Lastly, like Rochester, Rennes is very much a city of festivals. Festivals of music, film, art, food and culture contribute to lively city life, particularly during the warmer months. One of the longest running, “Les Transmusicals” has filled Rennes with music every December for over 36 years featuring music artists known and unknown from around the world.

 News

Have you heard about Rennes Trade Mission 2016? We’re recruiting people and companies now to join us next April on a trip that will introduce attendees to the people and industries that make up Brittany’s business landscape including municipal officials dealing with business and international relations. For more information, contact Ray Griswold at RGris57152@aol.com.   Rennes2016TradeMissionPNGBig

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