Association of the Chambers of agriculture of the Atlantic Area (AC3A)

What Association of the Chambers of agriculture of the Atlantic Area (AC3A) does

AC3A (Association des Chambres d'Agriculture de l'Arc Atlantique) is a French non-profit association (loi 1901) headquartered in Nantes that coordinates the agricultural innovation activities of four regional French chambers (Normandy, Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine). Its core function is to facilitate cross-border agricultural and rural innovation by participating as a partner or associated partner in EU-funded research and innovation projects spanning Horizon Europe, Interreg North-West Europe, Interreg Europe, Interreg SUDOE, Interreg Espace Atlantique, and Erasmus+ programmes. AC3A simultaneously acts as a dissemination intermediary, broker, and field-access conduit for agricultural innovation across the French Atlantic Arc.

The association's portfolio addresses bioeconomy and bio-based construction (SCALE-UP, thERBN), solar thermal energy in agriculture (ICaRE4Farms), carbon farming (Smart Carbon Farming, CREDIBLE), hybrid renewable energy (HY4RES), and broader agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (FAIRshare, i2Connect, BUFFER+, FABulous Farmers). Technical work is delivered through multi-actor platforms, regional chamber networks, on-farm demonstration sites, an Innov'lunch webinar series, and participation in events such as Bio360 (Nantes), SPACE (Rennes), and the European Rural Circular Bioeconomy Conference. Knowledge outputs are distributed via the EU-Farmbook and thERBN platforms and the metaCSEI cluster ecosystem registered with the European Cluster Collaboration Platform.

AC3A operates a non-commercial revenue model: it does not sell products or services. Funding is primarily composed of EU project grants (typically 60–100% of project budgets are public sources), with chamber membership contributions providing residual support. Its primary customer segments are regional agricultural chambers (institutional), farmers and agricultural producers (operational beneficiaries), EU policymakers and public authorities, SMEs and bioeconomy industries, and researchers/advisors within the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) network. Growth is project-cycle driven rather than sales-driven, with 11 employees supporting a portfolio of 15+ European projects.

Name

Association of the Chambers of agriculture of the Atlantic Area (AC3A)

Legal name

Association des Chambres d'Agriculture de l'Arc Atlantique

Website

https://ac3a.fr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AC3A is a French non-profit association coordinating EU-funded agricultural innovation across four regional chambers (Normandy, Brittany, Pays de la Loire, Nouvelle-Aquitaine). It facilitates multi-actor projects in bioeconomy, renewable energy, and sustainable farming, serving farmers, policymakers, researchers, and bioeconomy SMEs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Innovation Coordination

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFACABAL

Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory)

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Crop Consulting & Agronomy Services (Soil Health, Nutrient Planning, Yield Consulting)

SECONDARYBPADALAM

Circular Economy & Resource Efficiency

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Climate, Environment & Sustainable Development Programs

Keywords

• Agricultural chamber coordination
• EU project consortiums
• Bioeconomy innovation networks
• Sustainable agriculture research
• Multi-actor knowledge platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Nantes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. EU Project Funding: AC3A participates as a partner or associated partner in multiple EU-funded programmes (Horizon Europe, Interreg North-West Europe, Interreg Europe, Interreg SUDOE, Interreg Espace Atlantique, Erasmus+). Funding supports the coordination and dissemination activities of the association. Some projects (e.g., Smart Carbon Farming) are funded at 60% with AC3A as an associated partner not directly receiving funding for its activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AC3A coordinates EU-funded agricultural innovation projects across four French Atlantic Arc regions (Normandy, Pays de la Loire, Brittany, Nouvelle-Aquitaine), acting as an interface between regional Chambers of Agriculture and European research programs. It delivers multi-actor pilot demonstrations, knowledge-exchange platforms, and collaborative programs spanning bioeconomy, renewable energy adoption, carbon farming, and sustainable farming practices.

Product overview

AC3A is an association of agricultural chambers in the Atlantic Arc region of France. It does not offer commercial products or services. Instead, it serves as a coordination body for European-funded agricultural projects focused on bioeconomy, renewable energy, and sustainable farming practices. The organization coordinates multi-actor platforms and supports knowledge sharing across regional agricultural chambers including Normandy, Pays de la Loire, Brittany, and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SCALE-UP Bioeconomy Development Program
• thERBN European Rural Bioeconomy Network
• ICaRE4Farms Solar Thermal Demonstration
• Smart Carbon Farming Program
• Bio360 Bioeconomy Innovation Platform
• Innov'lunch Webinar Series

Quantifiable outcome

• ICaRE4Farms project contributed to creating 321 solar thermal energy systems in North-West Europe within 5 years of project end, with 27ktCO2 savings, growing to 921 systems (92ktCO2) after 10 years.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, secondary and minor.

• Fédération Bretonne des Filières Biosourcées ([FB]²)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2025Co-organizer of the SCALE-UP regional platform meetings on bio-based construction in Brittany. [FB]² represents Breton bioeconomy sectors and runs a call for expressions of interest to support public renovation projects using bio-based materials.
• Terres de SourcesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 February 2025Water quality initiative in Brittany that supports the development of local bioeconomy sectors, particularly hemp cultivation trials. Partnered with AC3A and [FB]² for the SCALE-UP regional platform meeting in November 2024.
• Université de Gand (Ghent University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Lead partner of the thERBN project (Horizon Europe, 2025-2027). The university coordinates 20 partners from 11 countries in establishing a European thematic network for rural bioeconomy. AC3A serves as the agricultural chamber partner in this consortium.
• ValorialsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025French partner in the thERBN project alongside AC3A. Valorial is a competitiveness cluster for food and bioeconomy in western France, contributing to the project's knowledge-sharing and network-building activities.
• 11-Country thERBN ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025The thERBN project brings together 20 partners from 11 countries (Belgium, Spain, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania, France, Poland, Germany, Portugal), including 3 consultants, 4 clusters, 6 technical centers, and 7 practitioners. AC3A represents the French agricultural chamber perspective in this network.
• LB Eco HabitatminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2024Company specializing in heritage restoration and eco-construction with bio-based and geo-sourced materials (hempcrete, lime/hemp coatings). Partner of Terres de Sources and participant in SCALE-UP regional platform meetings, demonstrating the industrial application of agricultural co-products.
• COPANOminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2024Company manufacturing low-tech straw insulation panels requiring no binders or chemical additives. Supported by SCALE-UP innovation programme, COPANO showcased its products at Bio360 2025 and regional platform meetings, demonstrating how straw co-products can be turned into construction materials.
• Collectif Paille Armoricain (CPA)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 November 2024Regional network promoting straw-based construction in Brittany and Normandy. Presented the straw sector at SCALE-UP regional platform meetings, contributing to the development of the bio-based construction value chain.
• Wood K Plus (Austria)secondaryTechnology or Integration · 16 April 2024Research institution visited during the SCALE-UP Danube study tour. Specializes in wood and wood-related renewable resources research, representing the type of academic and technical center in AC3A's extended European network.
• BioCampus Straubing (Germany)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2024Business promotion company in Straubing, Germany, that supports start-ups and companies involved in material or energy utilization of biomass. Part of the extended network visited during SCALE-UP international study tour.
• Ver de Terre ProductionmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Lead partner of the Smart Carbon Farming project (Interreg NWE, 2023-2027). AC3A is an associated partner supporting the dissemination of results to agricultural advisors and farmers, connecting with related projects BUFFER+ and CREDIBLE on carbon farming.
• Multitel Innovation Centre (Belgium)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Lead partner of Smart Carbon Farming project. Multitel coordinates 11 partners from 5 countries to develop carbon farming solutions in North-West Europe. AC3A participates as an associated partner providing agricultural expertise.
• Ecologic InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022Lead partner of the SCALE-UP project (Horizon Europe). Ecologic Institute coordinates the project's nine partners across six European regions and is responsible for the overall project management, policy recommendations, and multi-actor platform facilitation. AC3A works directly with Ecologic on the French Atlantic Arc case study region.
• Laval Mayenne TechnopolemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2019Lead partner of the ICaRE4Farms project (Interreg NWE, 2019-2023). This project focused on solar thermal energy in agriculture across North-West Europe. AC3A partnered with Laval Mayenne Technopole and the Chamber of Agriculture of Pays de la Loire, with the EARL du Boulay as a pilot farm.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• APCA (Assemblée Permanente des Chambres d'Agriculture): National federation representing all French Chambers of Agriculture. APCA is the umbrella body of which AC3A's member chambers are constituents; both coordinate agricultural advisory and innovation activities, but APCA operates nationally while AC3A focuses on the Atlantic Arc sub-region.
• European Network for Rural Development (ENRD): EU-level hub connecting rural development stakeholders. ENRD addresses rural development and bioeconomy themes structurally similar to AC3A's portfolio, serving as a broader governance and policy coordination counterpart in the same EU rural innovation ecosystem.
• EIP-AGRI Service Point: European Commission service point supporting the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS). EIP-AGRI operates the EU-wide knowledge platform (EU-Farmbook) through which AC3A disseminates content, making it both a structural counterpart and a higher-level policy node in the same ecosystem.
• ACTA (Les Instituts Techniques Agricoles): French network of 18 agricultural technical institutes coordinating applied research and innovation transfer to farmers. ACTA addresses similar agricultural knowledge dissemination challenges across France and shares AC3A's multi-actor, EU-funded project orientation.

Emerging players

• RISE Foundation (Rural Investment Support for Europe): European foundation focused on rural economy and bioeconomy research and policy. RISE operates at the intersection of agriculture, sustainability, and EU policy advocacy that overlaps with AC3A's bioeconomy and carbon farming coordination activities.
• Terrasolis: French non-profit coordinating agricultural carbon farming and soil health initiatives. Terrasolis works on overlapping themes (carbon farming, soil health advisory) with AC3A's Smart Carbon Farming and CREDIBLE projects, sharing a similar non-profit, EU-funded operating model.

Direct peers

• EUFRAS (European Forum for Agricultural and Rural Advisory Services): European network of agricultural advisory service providers. EUFRAS plays a similar pan-EU coordination role for advisory services as AC3A does for the French Atlantic Arc, organizing knowledge exchange and policy engagement on sustainable agriculture.
• Valorial: French competitiveness cluster for food and bioeconomy in western France. Valorial is a direct partner in AC3A's thERBN project and operates an analogous multi-stakeholder coordination model connecting agriculture, food industry, and bioeconomy SMEs in overlapping geographies.
• Ecologic Institute: German policy think tank that leads the SCALE-UP project where AC3A participates. Both organizations coordinate EU-funded multi-actor platforms, develop policy recommendations, and operate as convenors across European research and innovation networks.

Regional players

• IDELE (Institut de l'Élevage): French technical institute for livestock production. IDELE performs applied agricultural R&D and advisory services similar to AC3A's chamber-based coordination work, with comparable funding profiles (EU grants, public funding, member contributions).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-des-chambres-d%E2%80%99agriculture-de-l%E2%80%99arc-atlantique-ac3a-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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