Bilateral Cooperation between Île-de-France and Bavaria: Creative Valley France and WERK1 signed a MoU in Paris

Creative Valley as well as WERK1 are strongly positioned in their regions and for years have focused on the international orientation of their accelerator- and incubator programmes. They are now striving to pool their energies and create synergies from which young enterprises in both countries can profit. The memorandum of understanding signed by the managing directors, Dr Florian Mann (WERK1) and Yann Gozlan (Creative Valley) in the presence of Valérie Pécresse (President of the Regional Council of the Île-de-France) includes the following aims: 

• impulse for the interconnection of the start-up ecosystems of Munich/Bavaria and the Île-de-France (Greater Paris area)
• Mutual offer of co-working places for the respective other members
• providing start-ups from the respective ecosystems easy access to the respective other ecosystem (e.g. with fixed contact partners)
• offering concrete support for the mutual internationalisation, if necessary establishing target-aimed programmes
• exchange of information within the framework of regular calls
• mutual invitation to relevant events held by both ecosystems including, if possible, the provision of reduced/free tickets
• mutual delegation trips
• exchange of experiences in particular relating to accelerator programmes

Best political framework conditions in both regions

On the basis of this undertaking, both start-up centres wish to further strengthen their significance as promoters of the digital economy, especially within the European context. The convergence between Creative Valley and WERK 1 dates back to a visit to Paris in January 2019 which was organised by Invest in Bavaria. Its aim was the interconnection of key players in both start-up ecosystems. Dr. Florian Mann rates it as a great success for both sides that this agreement has come about just six months later: 

The Île-de-France as well as Munich or Bavaria impress with their dynamic start-up ecosystems. The excellent conditions for young innovative companies are not least attributable to the positive political framework conditions in both regions. That we are now working together more closely is a great success – not only for WERK1 and Creative Valley but also for the Île-de-France and Bavaria overall.
- Dr Florian Mann, Managing Director WERK1

The memorandum of understanding between Creative Valley and WERK1 is embedded in the larger context of a planned joint declaration of intent between the two regions which should be signed before the end of this year. Both regions are leaders with regard to innovation as is, among other things, demonstrated by their first and second places in the European Patent Office’s rankings for patents filed in 2017 and 2018.