Agence Economique Regionale De Bourgogne-franche-comte

What Agence Economique Regionale De Bourgogne-franche-comte does

AER BFC (Agence Économique Régionale Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) is the official regional economic development agency for the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France, structured as a Société Publique Locale (SPL) — a public limited company majority-owned by the Région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and territorial collectivities (EPCIs). Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Besançon with a secondary presence in Dijon, the agency supports two principal client constituencies: companies seeking to set up, develop, innovate, or find partners and financing; and territorial collectivities requiring project engineering, economic observation, and ecosystem coordination. Its mandate spans the full company lifecycle — from implementation and financial engineering through innovation and ecological transition to business transmission and difficulty support.

The agency's core operational technology consists of two purpose-built data platforms: Décidata, a multi-source regional observatory on economy-employment-formation offering 600+ indicators across 10 geographic levels with 1,100 professional users and 72,000 annual consultations; and OFER BFC, an economic land observatory tracking 2,650 hectares across 301 economic activity zones, with 770 hectares immediately available and 5 turnkey industrial sites. Supporting services include the PEP'IN BFC incubator network (labelled since October 2018), the annual Créer Demain/CONNECT innovation event, and dedicated sector expertise in biotherapies, hydrogen, health industries, microtechnologies, and other regional priorities. The agency animates a network of approximately 150 institutional and sectoral partners.

AER BFC's revenue model is entirely public-sector: operating income derives from regional mandates, public subsidies (including FEDER and RIS 3 European funds), and fees for economic engineering services, with no commercial product revenue. Services are offered free or subsidized at the point of use. Its GTM motion is sales-led (direct expert engagement with companies and EPCIs, dedicated project managers per sector) and event-driven (Créer Demain/CONNECT, Regional Innovation Network plenaries, departmental sensitization meetings). As an official Business France relay under a signed convention, the agency also channels international investment prospecting for the region.

Name

Agence Economique Regionale De Bourgogne-franche-comte

Legal name

Agence Économique Régionale Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Website

https://www.aer-bfc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AER BFC is a public regional economic development agency (Société Publique Locale) serving the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of France, supporting company creation, innovation, and territorial development through expert project management, the Décidata and OFER BFC data platforms, and a network of ~150 ecosystem partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Economic Development Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Regional economic development
• Business support services
• Innovation ecosystem animation
• Investment promotion
• Territorial project engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Besançon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public funding and regional mandate: AER BFC is a Société Publique Locale (SPL), a public limited company majority-owned by regional and local public shareholders (the Region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and territorial collectivities). Its operating revenue derives from public mandates, regional subsidies, and fees for services related to economic engineering, project support, and ecosystem animation. No commercial revenue from product sales.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AER BFC is a publicly mandated regional economic development agency providing free business support services (setup, development, financial engineering, partner and land search, transmission, difficulties/changes) and territorial services (project engineering, socio-economic observation, innovation/eco-transition awareness, regional appeal) to companies and local authorities in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It animates a network of approximately 150 ecosystem partners and operates the Décidata data platform and OFER BFC economic land observatory as unique regional intelligence assets.

Product overview

The Agence Economique Régionale Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (AER BFC) is a public economic development agency operating as a Société Publique Locale. It provides a comprehensive suite of economic development services to support businesses and territories across the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. The agency's offerings center on three main pillars: (1) Business Services including setup/creation support, development assistance, financial engineering, partner search, and land/property search; (2) Territorial Services including regional ecosystem animation, economic land observatory (OFER BFC), socio-economic observatory, and promotion of economic zones; and (3) Sector-Specific Support including dedicated services for innovation/ecological transition, biotherapies and bioproduction, and major events like the Créer Demain regional innovation forum. The portfolio also includes physical infrastructure support through turnkey industrial sites and the PEP'IN BFC business incubator network. Key operational tools include the Décidata data platform providing economic-employment-training indicators and the OFER BFC land observatory for property and land availability tracking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Setup and Development Services Support for companies seeking to establish or expand operations in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, including implementation projects, development assistance, partner connections, and business promotion. Targets firms at creation, expansion, or restructuring stages.
• Innovation and Ecological Transition Services Project engineering support for innovation and ecological transition initiatives, helping businesses develop and finance innovative projects in the region. Targets companies pursuing R&D, innovation financing, or eco-transition strategies.
• Financial Engineering Financial engineering services to support business growth and investment projects in the region, including access to public subsidies and financing mechanisms. Targets companies seeking investment capital or development financing.
• Land and Property Search Real estate and land search service helping businesses find suitable locations for their operations in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, backed by an inventory of over 1,000 properties and 2.8+ million m² of available space.
• Turnkey Industrial Sites Industrial sites ready for immediate use, identified through a government program to accelerate industrial installations with reduced timelines. Five turnkey sites are currently available in BFC under the 'Sites clés en main' label.
• PEP'IN BFC Business Incubator Network Regional network of business incubators supporting entrepreneurs and startups, with a label identifying high-service incubators across Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Targets founders seeking structured incubation support.
• Regional Ecosystem Animation Animation and coordination of the regional innovation ecosystem, connecting approximately 150 partner organizations including funders, technology partners, and sector specialists across Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
• OFER BFC Economic Land Observatory Observatory for economic land in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, producing indicators and knowledge to support decision-making in economic development while balancing land use efficiency. Includes public atlases showing all economic sites and plots of 2,500 m² or more.
• Décidata Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,650 hectares available across 301 economic zones; 770 hectares immediately available; 5 turnkey industrial sites
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Région Bourgogne-Franche-ComtécoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe primary shareholder and principal funder of AER BFC. AER BFC is the official regional relay for economic development and innovation ecosystem animation under the Region's mandate. The Region co-finances flagship events such as Créer Demain and provides FEDER/RIS 3 subsidies for supported projects.
• Business FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAER BFC serves as an official Business France relay under a signed convention, jointly conducting international investor prospecting, reception, and follow-up to attract foreign direct investment to BFC.
• ADEME Bourgogne-Franche-ComtémajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental agency partner contributing to ecological transition support services and awareness programs delivered by AER BFC to enterprises and territories.
• CCI Bourgogne-Franche-ComtémajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber of Commerce and Industry partner, co-signatory of the Décidata platform convention, contributing to regional economic observation.
• Préfet de la région Bourgogne-Franche-ComtémajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional prefect partner supporting AER BFC's mission in economic mutation accompaniment and territorial development.
• EMFORmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signatory with the State, Region, AER BFC, and CCI BFC of the Décidata mutualised observation platform convention, covering economy-employment-formation data.
• ARNia (Agence Régionale du Numérique et de l'Intelligence Artificielle)supportingTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing digital infrastructure for the OFER BFC land observatory and the economic zones mapping platform, implementing the Stratégie Régionale de la Connaissance.
• Bionoveo (FC'INNOV foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerR&D centre developing new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies and bioproduction processes, building on expertise from RIGHT and EFS. Part of the biotherapies ecosystem supported by AER BFC.
• SATT SAYENScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology transfer company detecting, protecting, and developing public research innovations from BFC and partner regions for transfer to enterprises or via startups. Operator of Université Bourgogne Europe and Institut Agro Dijon research partnerships.
• DECA-BFCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational public research incubator in BFC, offering a 36-month tailored DeepTech entrepreneurial pathway for Medtech, Biotech, and Pharma projects.
• PMT (Pôle des Microtechniques)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional competitiveness cluster animating a MedTech-Biotech-Pharma technologies cluster, labelling innovative projects and facilitating partnerships within the sector.
• SantenovcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport structure for innovation projects and startup acceleration in the health technologies sector, partner in the INTHERAPI Graduate School and CREDIMI 2026 colloquium.
• Temis InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner250-hectare science and deeptech campus specializing in micro-nanotechnologies, systems engineering, and biotherapies. Includes a dedicated biocluster with research resources, infrastructure, and innovation/business/industrialization support.
• French Care communitysupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerAER BFC is a member of the French Care community, demonstrating its commitment to health innovation and ecosystem connectivity at the national level.
• Tube à Essais / Région BFC / AER BFC (BIOVALIANCE delegation)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizers of the BIOVALIANCE sector cluster delegation to Montréal (July 2026), bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, and startups to develop international biotech partnerships.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Business France: National agency supporting French export and international investment; AER BFC operates as an official Business France relay under signed convention, jointly prospecting foreign investors.
• BPI France: National public investment bank and key AER BFC partner providing financing solutions, innovation funding, and business creation support; larger incumbent with overlapping but national-scope mandate.
• CCI Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry operating across all business sectors in BFC with broader commercial mandate, overlapping business advisory services, and acting as co-signatory of AER BFC's Décidata platform convention.

Direct peers

• AER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: Regional economic development agency for Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes with similar SPL structure, providing identical business setup, innovation support, and ecosystem animation services to firms in their respective region.
• Dev'Up Centre-Val de Loire: Regional development agency for Centre-Val de Loire providing business setup, innovation, and territorial economic engineering services analogous to AER BFC's portfolio.
• Team Côte d'Azur: Economic development and FDI attraction agency for the Nice-Côte d'Azur metropolitan area, offering business setup support, innovation ecosystem animation, and international prospection services.
• ADI Nouvelle-Aquitaine: Agence de Développement et d'Innovation Nouvelle-Aquitaine operates with similar mandate supporting business creation, innovation, and investment attraction in its region.
• ARDANS Grand Est: Regional economic development agency for Grand Est region delivering economic intelligence, business support, and territorial engineering services under a comparable SPL mandate model.
• Nord France Invest: Regional investment promotion agency for Hauts-de-France focused on attracting foreign direct investment and supporting business development, with comparable mandate and Business France relay status.

Regional players

• Choose Paris Region: Paris Region's international investment promotion agency; similar mission to AER BFC's FDI attraction work but operating in the higher-volume Île-de-France market without regional economic engineering scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AERBourgogneFrancheComté
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aerbfc
• Instagraminstagram.com/aer_bourgognefranchecomte

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agence Economique Regionale De Bourgogne-franche-comte