The Geostart Startup Incubator in Pau, Southwestern France: A Successful Synergy Between a Technopole and a Geoscience Cluster

This paper presents the case study of a geoscience startup incubator in Pau, southwestern France, where a technopole, HELIOPARC, team up with a geoscience & subsurface engineering competitiveness cluster, POLE AVENIA, to offer the best innovation environment for young entrepreneurs to create a business and rapidly access their first application markets. After less than 3 years of existence, the GEOSTART model has proved successful in making the most of a dynamic local network, strengthening it and consequently increasing the economic attractivity of the area.