• 2nd largest regional economy after Paris area
• 5th position in Europe for Research
• 7th largest regional economy in the European union

Research (facts and figures)

• 21,000 total jobs
• 11,000 in publics research
• 6,500 in private research
• 3,500 thesis students
  
• 8 national research organizations
• 4 international research centers (ILL, ESRF, IRAM, EMBL)

Exceptional quality of life

• 22 winter sport resorts
• 30 cross country skiing centres
• More than 100 lakes
• 11 golf courses
• A natural environment plains and highlands
• Easy access to ski resort and the Mediterranea

It all started in 1896 at Chamrousse (which would later host the 1968 Winter Olympics), where Henri Duhamel founded France's first ski club after testing a pair of Swedish-made skis he saw at the 1878 Universal Exposition in Paris. The French army, which considered skis superior to snowshoes, further promoted the cold-weather discipline. In 1934 a rudimentary ski lift was built in the Chartreuse, but it was another localJean Pomagalskiwho would soon revolutionize winter sports. His inventions, which included the first detachable ski lift (1944), the first double chairlift (1958), the first automatic gondola (1966), the first double-decker aerial tramway (1984), and the first funicular built in a tunnel bored through a glacier (1989), propelled his company, Poma, to the top of its industry. Local ski manufacturer Rossignol changed the sport by introducing the first multilayer laminated ski, while its rival Dynamic produced early steel-edged skis that lured increasing numbers of skiers onto the slopes. Isèrewith 4,300 kilometers of downhill and cross-country trailsis also home to numerous skiing champions like Carole Montillet (downhill), Guilbaut Colas (moguls), Ophélie David (skicross), Laure Péquegnot (slalom), and Martin Fourcade (biathlon). (AEPI, 2012)

Grenoble is surrounded by mountains, to the north is the Chartreuse chain, to we West is the Vercors, and to the est is the Belledonne range.

20 ski resorts surround the city, most within an hour's drive. The slopes of the chamrousse resort are easily visible from downtown and may be reached within 45 minutes.
Day-trips to many of the local ski resorts are available by bus from the downtown bus station.

The presence of a large international community through both foreign students and foreign researchers creates a vibrant, open and stimulating intellectual environment.
the University of Grenoble was created in 1339, and currently serves over 65,000 students (11% come from abroad).
The city is now a major scientific center, especially strong in the fields of mathematics, nano and microtechnologies, micro electronics, informatics and applied mathematics.

Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP) is composed of 6 prestigous Grandes Ecoles, with a student population of 5,400 students.
Grenoble is also home to a number of prestigious scientific institutes.





More...