TECHNOPOLES

The project concerns the financing of the investment required to develop 5 regional technology parks located in Monastir, Sfax, Sousse, Sidi Thabet and Bizerte. These specialise in different sectors: biotechnology and the pharmaceutical industry (Sidi Thabet), mechanical engineering, electronics and IT (Sousse), IT and multimedia (Sfax), textiles and textile products (Monastir) and agribusiness (Bizerte).

In each technology park, five distinct areas will be developed for production, research and development, technology and services transfer, training and common facilities.

A dedicated global loan a limited number of Tunisian financial intermediaries aimed at financing private enterprises investing in the sectors involved in these technology parks is also under appraisal. Technical assistance is also being examined for (a) defining the optimum links and synergies between each park's components and their promotion/marketing strategies and (b) managing the parks and operating their components.

The project forms part of the presidential programme adopted in October 1999, which focuses on the establishment of a series of 12 regional technology parks in the vicinity of major universities and industrial areas. Its objective is to foster the creation of a national scientific research and technology network with a view to upgrading the country's industry and agriculture and accelerating the development of high value added services.

By furthering the cross-fertilisation between research, universities and industry and the establishment of private high-tech companies, the project will contribute to developing new industries in the sectors concerned. The technology parks will concentrate on high value added, job-creating activities, thus underpinning Tunisia's economic growth.

The planned technical assistance will facilitate project implementation and help to pinpoint the sub-sectors which are likely to remain viable in the long term and where Tunisia enjoys a definite comparative advantage.

Within the European Union, each site in a similar project would come under Annex II to Directive 97/11/EC. Tunisian legislation requires environmental impact studies, which are submitted for approval to the competent national authorities. In general, the high value added technological activities selected for the technology parks are low-polluting. The Bank will nonetheless ensure during project appraisal that the studies are conducted in line with the criteria applied in the EU.

The Borrower is very familiar with the Bank's procedures. The procedures of the Ministry of Scientific Research, Technology and Skills Development require international calls for tender with publication in the EU Official Journal.

Industrial areas and science parks.