aerocentre pole d'excellence regional

What aerocentre pole d'excellence regional does

Aérocentre is a regional aerospace, space, and defense excellence cluster structured as a French non-profit association (loi 1901, SIRET 51317182700027, NAF 9499Z), founded in 2009 and headquartered at ZIAP, 1 Place Marcel Dassault, 36130 Déols, France. The organization serves the Centre-Val de Loire region exclusively, acting as a membership-based service coordinator for ~148 industrial member companies representing ~19,765 employees and combined turnover of €6.04 billion. Its core activities include membership management, industrial performance programs (AéroExcellence, Perform'Aero deployed under GIFAS frameworks), certification support (EN 9100, ISO 9001, PART 145, PART 21G), a Bourse Business VIP exchange platform, a job board (Bourse à l'Emploi with 490 active postings), flagship annual events (Rencontres Aéronautiques et Défense, 24H Innovation, Job Dating), collective trade show pavilions (Le Bourget, Eurosatory, MIDEST), and aerospace education certifications (Labellisation Aéronautique, BIA). The cluster is co-financed by the Centre-Val de Loire Region and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), most recently through a €1,549,944.58 envelope for 2023-2025, and operates under a Board of Directors chaired by Christophe BONNEAU (SAS Pineau) with permanent direction by Claire OGER.

Name

aerocentre pole d'excellence regional

Legal name

Aérocentre

Website

https://aero-centre.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Aérocentre is a Centre-Val de Loire aerospace, space, and defense industry cluster serving 148 member companies through industrial performance programs, networking events, certification support, job exchange, and trade show pavilions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aerospace Industry Cluster Services

NAICS

Aircraft Manufacturing (336411)

SIC

Aircraft (3721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business & General Aviation Aircraft Manufacturing (IMABAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

UAS Integration, Certification & Compliance Systems (Remote ID, Detect-and-Avoid) (IMABAIAO)

Keywords

• Aerospace cluster services
• Industrial performance programs
• Aerospace trade association
• Regional excellence cluster
• Aerospace business networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Déols

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from three categories: Active Members (companies with ETP-based pricing: 275-1500€ first year, 1100-3000€ following years), Consultative Members (750€ annual for service providers, laboratories, research centers, consulting firms), and Startup Members (250€ annually for first 3 years). The organization is also partially financed by the Centre-Val de Loire Region and Europe (European Regional Development Fund).
2. Public Funding: Co-funded by the Centre-Val de Loire Region and European Union (FEDER funds). EU project financing for 'Development and sustainability of aerospace, space and defense sectors in Centre-Val de Loire region 2023-2025' totaled €1,549,944.58 over 3 years, including €410,580.32 in FEDER funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Aérocentre is a regional aerospace, space, and defense excellence cluster (pôle d'excellence régional) that delivers a portfolio of collective business services to its 148 member companies. Its offerings include an online business exchange platform (Bourse Business VIP), a job exchange platform (Bourse à l'Emploi), industrial performance improvement programs (AéroExcellence and Perform'Aero), certification support (EN 9100, ISO 9001, PART 145, PART 21G), HR networking (Club RH), business development support, and workforce training programs including the Labellisation Aéronautique.

Product overview

Aérocentre is a regional excellence hub structured as a non-profit association (loi 1901) that acts as a service platform for the aerospace, space, and defense industries in Centre-Val de Loire region. Rather than a single product, it offers a portfolio of interconnected services including the Bourse Business VIP platform for member-to-member business exchanges, the Bourse à l'Emploi job board, and the flagship Rencontres Aéronautiques & 24H Innovation annual event. The organization provides industrial excellence programs (AeroExcellence, Perform'Aero), HR networking (Club RH), certification support services, and education programs (Labellisation Aéronautique, BIA). International promotion includes collective pavilions at trade shows like Le Bourget, Eurosatory, and MIDEST. Aérocentre functions as a community aggregator and service coordinator rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bourse Business VIP (Business Exchange Platform) Member-exclusive online platform facilitating exchange of business opportunities, equipment, materials, and competencies among Aérocentre's aerospace, space, and defense member companies.
• Bourse à l'Emploi (Job Exchange) Online job board connecting Aérocentre member companies with candidates for employment and internship opportunities in the aerospace, space, and defense sectors; 490 active job postings reported.
• Rencontres Aéronautiques & 24H Innovation Annual flagship event combining business meetings, conferences, recruitment activities, and a 24-hour Innovation Challenge where 150+ students solve industrial challenges posed by sector companies.
• AéroExcellence Program GIFAS-initiated industrial performance improvement program with individual and collective support, helping member companies achieve operational, environmental, and cybersecurity excellence through structured coaching and grappes.
• Perform'Aero Program Industrial performance improvement program modeled on GIFAS Performances Industrielles (PI1 and PI2), supporting SME supply chain performance through diagnostics, action plans, and group grappes sponsored by major prime contractors.
• Club RH (HR Club) Human resources networking club supporting member companies with Job Dating events, career forums, skills needs surveys, training, and collective annual action plans for workforce development.
• Appui Commercial (Commercial Support) Business development support service helping member companies diversify markets through strategic working groups, market studies, and collective action plans targeting new ASD sectors.
• Labellisation Aéronautique (Aviation Certification) School certification program delivered in partnership with the Regional Council and Rectorat, enabling high school students to receive specialized aeronautical training and certification at Henri Brisson, Blaise Pascal, and Thérèse Planiol schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ job seekers at single Job Dating event
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• GIFAS (Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026National aerospace and space industry association that has initiated the AéroExcellence program. Aérocentre deploys GIFAS programs including Performances Industrielles (PI1 and PI2) and AéroExcellence for industrial improvement, certification support, and sector competitiveness enhancement across the regional cluster.
• MBDAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Major defense contractor (prime contractor/donneur d'ordre) sponsoring the 'Grappe MBDA' AéroExcellence cluster group. Companies in the grappe (Aérograph, Berthelot SAS, Lachant Group, SAS Pineau Gérard, Soairtech) receive collective and individual support for industrial performance improvement.
• Dev'Up Centre-Val de LoirecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Regional development agency providing data on the aerospace sector (325 establishments, 21,570 employees) and co-organizing collective participation at Paris Air Show (SIAE) with complementary exhibition offerings for member companies.
• MichelinmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Prime contractor that sponsored the Perform'Aero grappe (cluster) for industrial performance improvement. SEFARD SCOP participated in this group, benefiting from structured improvement processes and peer exchanges with other industrial companies.
• ESTIA (École d'Ingénieurs)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Engineering school that created the '24H de l'Innovation' concept in 2007. Aérocentre organizes this innovation competition for regional aerospace sector, bringing together students, researchers, and professionals to develop solutions for industrial challenges in 24 hours.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Hamburg Aviation: Hamburg Aviation is the Hamburg Metropolitan Region aerospace cluster (Germany), supporting aerospace SMEs, training pipelines, and supply chain development. It mirrors Aérocentre's regional cluster mandate in a different European geography with a longer aviation industrial heritage.
• Aerospace Wales: Aerospace Wales is the Welsh aerospace industry body supporting aerospace and defense SMEs in Wales through events, training, and supply chain programs. It is a structural peer at smaller scale in a different European region, useful for benchmarking regional cluster sustainability.
• Aéro Montréal: Aéro Montréal is the Canadian aerospace cluster serving Quebec, with a comparable mandate (membership-based SME support, training, supply chain programs, and innovation challenges). It serves as an international benchmark for regional aerospace cluster economics, though it operates in a different geography and regulatory context.

Direct peers

• ASTech Paris Region: ASTech is the Paris Region aerospace, space, and mobility competitiveness cluster. It pursues the same regional excellence mandate as Aérocentre — supporting SMEs with industrial performance, certification, and innovation programs — but serves the much larger Île-de-France aerospace base.
• Aerospace Valley: Aerospace Valley is the French aerospace competitiveness cluster covering Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine — the same non-profit cluster model as Aérocentre, but at much larger scale (1,500+ members). It is the closest direct peer in terms of mandate (aerospace, space, defense SME development) and business model (membership + public co-financing + GIFAS program deployment).
• SAFE Cluster: SAFE Cluster is the French aerospace, security, defense, and environment cluster based in PACA (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur). It operates the same pôle de compétitivité model with regional SME membership, GIFAS-aligned industrial performance programs, and EU/regional co-financing — making it a structural twin to Aérocentre in a different French region.
• Normandie Aero: Normandie Aero is the Normandy regional aerospace cluster, supporting aerospace/defense SMEs through events, training, and GIFAS-aligned industrial performance programs. It is structurally identical to Aérocentre in another French region, making it a directly comparable peer for benchmarking member economics.

Broad incumbents

• GIFAS (Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales): GIFAS is the national French aerospace and space industry association. It is not a peer in the same scale/geography class, but it is the umbrella organization that originates the AéroExcellence and Performances Industrielles programs that Aérocentre deploys regionally — making it the dominant incumbent whose national programs both enable and risk Aérocentre's regional differentiation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/poleaerocentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aerocentre/?originalSubdomain=fr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about aerocentre pole d'excellence regional