Safran’s strategy is based on innovation and technology-driven differentiation. This strategy now moves to a new plane with the creation of a center dedicated to research, technology and innovation. Scheduled to open by the end of the year, it will consolidate Safran’s corporate R&T and innovation teams, and focus on the development of new technologies for use by all of Safran’s business sectors.
Safran's strategy is based on innovation and technology-driven differentiation. This strategy now moves to a new plane with the creation of a center dedicated to research, technology and innovation. Scheduled to open by the end of the year, it will consolidate Safran's corporate R&T and innovation teams, and focus on the development of new technologies for use by all of Safran's business sectors.
The new center, dubbed Paris-Saclay, is located south of Paris and will enable increased synergies with Saclay, the important science and technology cluster in France.
Safran's new Paris-Saclay facility will eventually count some 1,500 employees, including 300 scientists and technologists, along with engineers and technicians from other Safran entities currently located in the greater Paris area – escially Safran Engineering Services and Aircelle. The center is also designed to eventually welcome outside research teams working on subjects that complement Safran's areas of industrial research, to form a top-tier research complex.
Through this new R&T center, Safran will be able to accelerate technological breakthroughs in aerospace, digital technology, materials, processes and sensors.
"With this new center, Safran takes its R&T activities to a whole new plane, by fostering technological synergies between our different companies," said Jean-Paul Herteman, Chairman and CEO of Safran. "We will be boosting our investments in key disciplines for our aerospace, defense and security businesses by a full 25 percent."
Safran invests some 12% of its revenues in R&D (amounting to $2.1 billion in 2012), including about one-third for research and technology. Ranked Number 3 in France for the number of patents filed in 2013 (with 750 patents/year on average), Safran was also named one of the Top 100 Global Innovators by Thomson-Reuters.