Working side by side with local stakeholders

CNES has an oversight body to ensure that the initiatives it leads or supports are relevant and effective. This delegation, established in the early 2000s and renamed Espace pour la Guyane in 2020, acts as a link between the territorial authority (CTG), the communes, the Regional Education Authority, the University, associations and businesses. Its team liaises directly with the relevant stakeholders to provide technical or financial support in areas within CNES’s remit, namely:

• to make it easier for project leaders to access digital applications and space-related technologies and data,

• to support vocational training and education for young people, higher education and research, training and scientific and digital projects for teachers,

• to fund and support applications for grants for projects that boost local sectors.

Experts from Espace pour la Guyane assist with preparing and following up applications for CNES funding and national or European schemes. Regardless of the types and levels of support provided, applicants are selected by institutions in French Guiana, and the objectives and resources are allocated in consultation with the relevant parties, by consensus amongst all stakeholders.

These partnerships are carried out:

• together with the 22 communes, via an annual allocation based on a fixed amount that is the same for all (€30,000 per commune), which is then adjusted upwards according to objective criteria such as population size, geographical constraints, etc. The aim is fair distribution and the channelling of funds towards key development initiatives,

• in partnership with the Regional Education Authority and the University, under agreements covering projects from nursery school to university. These agreements provide a framework for initiatives ranging from tackling school drop-out rates to supporting the University of French Guiana’s doctoral programme (doctoral grants, equipment, etc.),

• with the French Guiana Tourism Board, of which CNES is a board member, to fund initiatives to promote French Guiana as a tourist destination,

• in partnership with the State and the CTG, by helping to fund local projects in a variety of fields, ranging from agriculture to cultural and sporting activities. This contribution from CNES helps to top up the French share, thereby acting as a catalyst for the allocation of European funds. Projects are selected and funding amounts approved at tripartite management committee meetings, coordinated by the CTG.