Five new winners in the "Kourou Industry Territory" programme

As part of the "Kourou Industry Territory" programme, ArianeGroup launched a new call for projects for the period September 2023 – February 2025.

Five companies were short-listed initially and their projects were submitted to a panel of experts from the space, innovation and financial sectors:

- AGUILA TECHNOLOGIES, for installing and testing satellite-linked warning and geolocation beacons for isolated areas, rivers and forests.

- AMAZON'HYDRO FORCE, for installing and testing a new innovative 50 kW tidal turbine on the Kourou river to supply a hotel complex.

- EXTRAPOLATION / DOTVISION, for installing and testing innovative connected objects for multiple uses (electricity meters, geolocation of containers, water and air quality measurements, etc.).

- QOVOLTIS, for installing and testing smart charging stations for electric vehicles powered by solar power panels.

- TERGYS, for installing and testing decentralised, energy-independent drinking water production systems.

The five winners will receive technical support from ArianeGroup and CNES throughout their project, which is scheduled to last 18 months (September 2023 to February 2025). Companies will be able to occupy offices in the ArianeGroup start-up accelerator hotel in Kourou.

They will be able to apply for local funding (CTG, French Government, etc.) as well as European funds (ERDF) or financial organisations that are partners of the "Industry Territory" programme to support their projects.

As a reminder, as part of this "Industry Territory" programme since November 2021, four companies are currently being supported: PowiDian (hydrogen fuel cell at Europe’s spaceport); Leviathan dynamics (innovative water-cooled refrigeration unit); Mobapi (industrial remote monitoring and predictive maintenance) and Dracula Technologies (innovative solar cells to power sensors).

François Luciotto, Technical Director, and Vincent Reboul, CEO and founder of Mobapi, believe in the development of the software platform that collects energy expenditure data in the industrial sector. Mobapi recruits and relies on French Guianese students, in particular those pursuing a professional bachelor's degree at the Troubiran campus, who are hired on work-study contracts and some on permanent contracts.

The "Kourou Industry Territory" – Space section – was set up in 2019 thanks to the determination of local stakeholders (ArianeGroup, CNES, the French Government, the CTG and the Federation of local authorities of the Savannahs (CCDS)) to promote the establishment of innovative companies with the ultimate aim of creating technical jobs in French Guiana.

Space industry stakeholders ArianeGroup and CNES are continuing to support innovative companies in the CCDS region, in long-term partnership with French Guiana's institutional stakeholders and financial partners. ArianeGroup is responsible for steering and coordinating the "Industry Territory".

Since 2020, ArianeGroup has been investing in the economic development of French Guiana through a start-up accelerator hotel located in the Hibiscus zone in Kourou, on the shores of the Bois-Diable Lake. The Federation of local authorities of the Savannahs donated the office equipment, and the French space agency is contributing to the projects by allocating a total of €180,000 to match European funds. The ERDF, the European Union's subsidy fund, supports the project to the tune of €1.5 million for the period 2021-2023.