Sophia Antipolis 1960 - 2005 : the fate of a crazy idea

In 1960, Pierre Laffitte, who at the time was a research director at the École des mines de Paris, published a visionary article in Le Monde entitled 'Le Quartier Latin aux champs' ('The Latin Quarter in the fields'). In 1970, the project was launched in the scrublands behind Nice as a result of a private initiative, named 'Savalor'. The president was Pierre Laffitte and the treasurer was the director of the Armines Research Centre. After an initial success, it was decided to expand geographically with support from the Chamber of Commerce, the département and the State. The operation resulted in the creation of an academic and technological centre of excellence. Today, the Sophia Antipolis prototype is recognised throughout the world and has given rise to numerous other projects for high-tech business zones in France.