Pangloss Labs receives the “Manufacture de Proximité” label from the Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires

As part of its Nouveaux lieux, Nouveaux liens programme, the French National Agency for Territorial Cohesion (ANCT) unveiled 61 new Manufactures de proximité on 18 July.

The Pangloss Labs association is proud to have been selected in the 3rd and final wave to become the only Manufacture de Proximité in the entire French Genevan metropolitan area and the 3rd in the department of Ain.

This is the second label received by Pangloss Labs, which has been a Fabrique de territoire since October 2020! Pangloss Labs is also the only manufacture de proximité with a renewable energy sector.

There are currently 100 third-places with the Manufacture de Proximité label, deployed throughout France.

The "Manufactures de proximité" scheme was launched in July 2021 by the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion (ANCT) and the General Directorate for Business, in conjunction with France Tiers-Lieux, to provide long-term support for entrepreneurs and craftsmen throughout our territories, and to provide impetus, within the framework of France Relance, for a programme of economic and engineering support for third-space production sites.

As a reminder, third-spaces are physical spaces for doing things together (coworking, connected campus, shared workshop, fablab... Third spaces are the new places for social links, emancipation and collective initiatives.

What is a Manufacture de proximité ?

Manufactures de proximité are productive third-spaces, which animate and provide services to a professional community. The aim of these local manufactures is to support local economic activity by enabling craftsmen, entrepreneurs and very small businesses to come together in small local production units and to benefit from services and training. The Local Manufactures will become a resource for local industry in order to relaunch the manufacture of products in France.

The Manufactures de proximité will receive grants of an average amount of 250,000 euros over two years to help them invest in local production machinery and equipment to improve their manufacturing capacity, consolidate their business model and purchase equipment for their professional community. The selected Local Manufactures all benefit from an engineering programme that has two components: A four-month incubation phase for project leaders to consolidate the project presented; a two-year tailor-made support phase for each factory, once the funding has been granted, to accompany the implementation of each project. This support aims to create a local economic dynamic and to encourage the promotion of trades, skills and know-how.

Manufactures de proximité are at the heart of the revival of business through territories and the revitalisation of territories through business. I have long defended these third-spaces that bring together VSEs, SMEs and craftsmen around sectors, objectives and values of the future, anchored in people's daily lives. These first 100 labelled structures contribute to our economic sovereignty: they must therefore inspire new ones

Olivia Grégoire Ministre déléguée chargée des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises, du Commerce, de l’Artisanat et du Tourisme

Manufactures de proximité are unique places where production tools and techniques can be shared, and they help to create a new economic and social dynamic in our territories. They are a lever for promoting our unique heritage and know-how. Our territories are a wonderful breeding ground for initiatives: I am delighted that these first 100 manufactures de proximité are helping to revitalise them!

Caroline Cayeux Ministre déléguée chargée des Collectivités territoriales

"Facilitating access to a world of possibilities".

This is the raison d'être of Pangloss Labs, a non-profit association created in 2014. The mission of the association, based in Ferney-Voltaire in the Pays de Gex (Ain), is to create laboratories for experimentation and prototyping to support local entrepreneurial activities.

Pangloss Labs is a third-space that offers easy access to multiple physical spaces to share and pool tools, machines and workspaces, and provide opportunities for collaboration on different projects. Currently, we offer a Fablab, a Coworking space, and a shared wood workshop (the Woodlab), and are developing a metal workshop (the Metal lab) in beta test. The Pangloss Labs association has about 100 members with various skills. They include professionals (engineers and scientists, designers, creators, artists and entrepreneurs), but also students, retirees and passionate amateurs. By offering production tools, machines and professional skills that are simply not available elsewhere in the Pays de Gex, Pangloss Labs has a lighthouse role and thus responds to a need of companies, social actors and citizens of the territory.

Our action plan as a "Manufacture de Proximité" foresees the increase of the manufacturing capacities of our Fablab, the development of a professional services pole to support local companies and the development of professional training activities.

We are developing cross-border cooperation with various universities and schools: USMB, UNIGE and HEPIA. We are providing prototyping and experimentation support for the new renewable energy eco-system that is being developed in and around Hotspot, the first building of the Ferney Genève Innovation project.

Guillaume Cabrié, co-founder of Pangloss Labs and co-director of the Fablab, said: "We have already helped hundreds of local entrepreneurs with their businesses and increased the number of digital fabrication machines in the region. This award is recognition of this and will help us to move quickly to the next stage, making more and better products right here in France. "

For more information, see our Manufacture de Proximité Project or contact us.

Pangloss Labs receives the “Fabrique de territoire” label from the Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des Territoires (National Agency for Territorial Cohesion)

On 22 October, the Minister for Territorial Cohesion and Relations with Local Authorities, Jacqueline Gourault, unveiled the 60 new winners of wave 3 of the "Fabriques de territoires" call for expressions of interest which was launched by seven members of the Government in July 2019. The aim is to support the development of third places in France and help them to become more structured and professional. Pangloss Labs appears in this selection, the only tiers-lieux in Ain amongst 8 others in the Auvergne-Rhône Alpes region.https://www.cohesion-territoires.gouv.fr/les-60-nouveaux-laureats-de-lappel-manifestation-dinteret-fabriques-de- territoire-annonces The first Fabrique de Territoire National Meeting was held on Monday 16th November online, Pangloss Labs participated. Fabriques de Territoires will receive a grant of 150,000 euros over three years to support the start-up of their project, their influence beyond the territory in which they are established, the formation of their team and the search for their economic balance. In this way, they become part of a community driven by the values of sharing, the production of common goods, the experimentation of participatory governance models and the ambition to create social links for the benefit of the inhabitants of their territory. "Facilitating access to a world of possibilities." This is the raison d'être of Pangloss Labs, a non-profit association created in 2014. Creating experimentation and prototyping laboratories to support the creation of local entrepreneurial activities is the mission of the association, based in Ferney-Voltaire in the Pays de Gex (Ain). Thus Pangloss Labs is a collaborative third-space that offers its members several spaces to share and pool tools, machines and workspaces: The Pangloss Labs association has around 100 members with a variety of skills. Among them are professionals (engineers and scientists, designers, creators, artists and various entrepreneurs), but also students, retirees and amateurs. By offering production tools and machines and professional skills that are not available elsewhere in Pays de Gex, Pangloss Labs has a flagship role and thus meets a need of companies, social actors and citizens in the area. Pangloss Labs also provides services to partners, public organisations and municipalities, and works with them on joint projects. Our action plan as a "Fabrique de territoire" includes the development of digital training activity (courses on Fablab's machines and digital expertise and support for members in their activities to fight the digital divide), support for social activities and support for activities working towards sustainable development; increasing the number of members; strengthening communication and external relations; extending the scope in the areas of digital transition and energy transition; and helping to develop the territorial network of third places in the French Genevan area. State support should help us to increase the association's resources and make Pangloss Labs a key third-space in our region.

Fête de la Science 2017

Pangloss Labs and the City of Ferney-Voltaire organize in partnership the Science Fair in the Pays de Gex on Saturday 14 October 2017

 La Fête de la Science

Created in 1991 at the initiative of Hubert Curien, then Minister of Research, the "Fete de la Science", which became a national event, aims to bring citizens closer to science. Each year throughout France, hundreds of actors offer free workshops, conferences, screenings, exhibitions, open their laboratory, discover the cultural and scientific heritage of the territory. From biodiversity to mathematics to the sciences of the universe, but also from human and social sciences, this event aims to represent all scientific domains and to make the world of science free to the public. Throughout France, the Science Fair takes place from 7 to 15 October 2017. For this 26th edition, the 2,500 participating municipalities propose stands and animations around the theme "Ideas received and critical spirit"

The Fête de la Science in the Pays de Gex, Saturday 14 October

In partnership with the Ferney-Voltaire Mairie, Pangloss Labs is organising the Fête de la Science (Science Fair) in the Pays de Gex on Saturday 14th October. This event will be an opportunity for young and old to meet innovation entrepreneurs from the Pays de Gex and to discover the innovation laboratories of Pangloss:
  • Mobility and Town Planning
  • Health/Wellness
  • Connected objects
  • Sustainable development
  • Culture and education
Around the theme "Critical spirit and received ideas", the Fête de la Science in Ferney-Voltaire will be an opportunity to explore:
  • electric mobility with the Vega association
  • astronomy with Orion
  • creative laboratories with Addictlab design
  • the connected objects
  • the innovations of citizen democracy
  • and so many other discoveries ...
A philosophical debate/conference will be organized at 5 pm, with Geneviève Brykman, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Paris Nanterre on the theme "Voltaire and received ideas". « The more the human being is enlightened, the more he will be free » - Voltaire Pangloss Labs Samedi 14 octobre de 9h à 18h 12 bis rue de Gex Résidence Joseph Boisson 01210 Ferney Voltaire Tel : 04 50 59 07 83 www.panglosslabs.org Contacts : yves@panglosslabs.org, guillaume@panglosslabs.org

Our community space now available in Ferney-Voltaire

We have just opened our space for innovation and creativity in Ferney-Voltaire. While we work to design a unique experience for our users, we are every day improving day our equipment, layout and decoration, to be ready in the coming weeks to welcome you. In addition to the tools and machines, we seek to live the values of our association in this new space. Take the opportunity to join us and help create your space!

3D Printing in Geneva

Gadget Guru is a short weekly radio show on World Radio Switzerland that I do with Tony Johnston. Here's the show from April 7th, 2015:
Here's the usual set of links & videos from the show: For more information about 3D printing, MAKE magazine is a great place to start: To try 3D printing in Geneva, you can go to Post Tenebras Lab, the Geneva Hackerspace on any Tuesday night. It's open to the public from 19h00 and they even have a communal meal. You might even see me there. We've just completed a major upgrade to our 3D printing capabilities and have 3 new printers including a Lulzbot TAZ 4 (a really big one!). There's the new Replik3D shop in Acacias. You'll find their website here. Give them a call before you go to visit them as they are very new and sorting out their opening hours. Their website is in French but both Matthieu and Giovanni speak great English. They sell 3D printers, supplies and do printing services and more. You can even get a 3D scanned bobble head made of yourself in full colour! You've also got Romain at Les Voisins coworking, and Sebastien at Onl'fait who both offer workshops and 3D printing services but you will need to speak French for these two.

Reality in all its forms

Gadget Guru is a short weekly radio show on World Radio Switzerland that I do with Tony Johnston. Here's the show from March 31st, 2015:
Here's the usual set of links & videos from the show: Virtual Reality A Rollercoaster Simulator on the Oculus Rift https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMrhaLb6UeQ There's an open source system for VR gaming https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxeQVBwyh8Y Augmented Reality Google glass - not dead yet. Navigation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IwDqah3a6c LayAR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR4eSmmPCxg Mixed Reality Microsoft Hololens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aThCr0PsyuA and you can even try for yourself with the iPad Ikea catalogue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDNzTasuYEw

Off the 3-D Printer, Practice Parts for the Surgeon

The New York Times reports on how surgeons are just learning to use new digital fabrication tools to create models, so that they can first practice delicate procedures: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/27/science/off-the-3-d-printer-practice-parts-for-the-surgeon.html Where will the doctors (and engineers and educators and artists and architects...) of the future get their first experiences with such cutting edge tools and approaches?  Fablabs are an ideal training ground for students, and a great place for entrepreneurs to test their ideas.

Changes in Autoentrepreneur formalities

autoentrepreneur Lots of small autoentrepreneur changes came in on January 1st, with the most important one being that now you must have a separate bank account for your autoentrepreneur business. Good news in that social charges have reduced, and a new requirement for using online tools for uploading your accounts if your turnover exceeds a certain threshold. More details at the APCE web site in French./Droit d'auteur: / 123RF Banque d'images

Création de Pangloss Geneva

Amis suisses, nous voilà !!! Nous nous sommes réunis dans les locaux de nos amis de Post Tenebras Lab à Carouge, pour faire la connaissance de Clément et pour créer ensemble Pangloss Geneva lors de notre assemblée générale. Nous voilà donc établi également en Suisse, avec en plus des projets de biohackers ! Que demander de plus ? IlovePangloss