The Novation City technology park in Sousse covers 250 hectares. How are the various mechatronics innovation clusters organized ?
Novation City is a private company founded in 2009 and based on the principle of a public-private partnership. Its objectives are to develop an innovation ecosystem in the mechatronics sector and to strengthen high value-added activities such as the digital city, intelligent transport and smart factories. It brings together the main innovation players in Tunisia, creating an interconnected, dense and highly responsive ecosystem of innovative companies, industry, research centers, universities and engineering schools. Novation City develops, manages and operates three complementary zones of economic excellence: Mechatronic City, for the development of prototypes and intelligent solutions; Business City, for the development of businesses and the commercialization of products; Industrial City, for the development of industries and factories with a new approach to management and production.
With the advent of AI, we also need to position ourselves for Innovation 4.0. What are the mechanisms?
Novation City is home to a number of institutions that specialize in innovation. These include an engineering school, a microelectronics and nanotechnology research center, a technology resource center, a university specializing in artificial intelligence, a doctoral school and a business incubator. Above all, it is committed to the development of advanced technologies. We have recently launched an Industry 4.0 Center to raise awareness among industrial companies about the transition to Industry 4.0 and to support them in this process. We are also working to establish a center of excellence specializing in artificial intelligence.
We offer a full range of services dedicated to start-ups and idea holders in the field of mechatronics, thanks to its incubation and acceleration programs, including Starti4 Incubator (3 editions); Starti4 Accelerator (1 edition and the 2nd to be launched soon); AI Garage: a pre-acceleration program; AI Factory: an acceleration program; Tunisia IoT&AI Challenge: a regional pre-incubation program; S- Drive: an incubation and acceleration program specifically designed for startups specializing in intelligent transport.
What are the practical links between higher education and the startup world?
Novation City has developed a cluster of 150 companies, about a hundred of which are based in our areas. One of the tasks of Novation City is to understand the human resource needs of the companies and to connect them with the relevant academic institutions. The aim is to meet these needs by identifying suitable profiles or exploring solutions proposed by startups to solve specific business problems.
As a member of several scientific councils and engineering schools, I am involved in initiatives aimed at bringing Masters programs closer to the needs of companies. There is even the possibility of co- designing masters programs between companies and universities.
To promote entrepreneurship and turn student's and researcher's project ideas into reality, Novation City organizes hackathons, launches calls for projects and sets up incubation programs within universities as part of the new "Student Entrepreneur" program, which aims to inspire and support students and researchers in developing their project ideas and launching their own startups.
Can you tell us about some of the startups that have emerged from the Sousse Technopark and expanded beyond Tunisia's borders?
The PGUARD robot by Enova Robotics, which is sold in France and Canada, is designed to ensure the security of areas. Enova Robotics is a company that specializes in the development of robots with a focus on security. Their robots, including the famous PGUARD, are sold in France and Canada. Equipped with infrared cameras, radar, artificial intelligence for facial recognition and chatbots, this robot is fully autonomous, able to avoid obstacles and warn of dangers. Enova Robotics started out with just two engineers, but now has a team of around one hundred people in Tunisia, with a branch in France employing around twenty people.
Another example is Proxym IT, which started with just two engineers 12 years ago and has grown into a thriving business with over 300 engineers. With a presence on five continents, Proxym IT has sales offices and development centers in different parts of the world. The company's focus is on digital, fintech and e-government. It has developed management systems for local authorities, the police and motorway speed cameras. A notable example of their success is the implementation of their system in the municipalities of Dubai, Ajman...
If you had to sum up Novation City's achievements ?
With 100 startups supported each year, we have more than 120 investors spread across the 3 zones of the technology park. These investors are active in a wide range of sectors, including mechatronics, robotics, metals, pharmaceuticals, IT, agritech, fintech, healthtech, automotive, agri-food, textiles, plastics processing, etc.
More than 5,000 engineers and 10,000 employees work in our industrial park. Once all the zones are occupied, our aim is to recruit more than 25,000 executives and more than 35,000 employees, strengthening our human potential and our economic impact.
You are president of the Tunisian Association of Technoparks. How would you position the Sousse Technopark on the national map?
We have 11 technoparks in Tunisia, both private and public, covering a wide range of sectors such as textiles, agri-food, chemicals, biotechnologies, environment (water, energy), mechatronics, etc. As technology is very broad, specialization is essential to the success of this strategy, which has led to the development of specialized technoparks.
These technoparks are spread throughout Tunisia, mainly along the coast, but some are also located inland. coast, but some are also located inland.
These technoparks are spread throughout Tunisia, mainly along the coast, but also in the interior. Although Novation City Sousse is not the oldest of the technoparks, it is one of the most dynamic, with a well-developed ecosystem of engineering schools, research centers and active development companies. It is home to thriving startups, attracting new companies every day to our three zones of excellence, fostering the creation of innovative technologies and offering numerous opportunities for the players in our ecosystem.
The smart city was built with the environment in mind
We have a photovoltaic field to produce green energy and reduce the carbon footprint of the development. The panels are used to power the development's security system and to light communal areas. We also have a rainwater filtration basin. This will allow rainwater to be reused for irrigation and cleaning. This will help reduce potable water consumption and save money on water bills.