First Factory (Première Usine): France 2030 Industrialization Program
First Factory (Première Usine) is France 2030’s dedicated program for helping innovative companies build their first industrial production facility — the critical and often fatal transition from laboratory/demonstrator to manufacturing. This step is where most European deeptech companies historically fail, making First Factory one of France 2030’s most strategically important programs.
The “Valley of Death” Problem
Between demonstrating a technology works (TRL 7-8) and running a profitable factory (TRL 9+) lies the “valley of death” for industrial scale-up:
- Pilot lines cost €10M-€50M to build, more than most startups can raise
- Factory construction requires 18-36 months of no revenue
- Equipment qualification and workforce training add further costs
- Banks won’t lend at pre-revenue stage for unproven production processes
- VCs who fund software companies in weeks are skeptical of 5-year factory paybacks
Without First Factory support, many French deeptech innovations were commercialized by Asian or US competitors who could build faster at scale. France 2030’s First Factory program directly addresses this.
Program Structure
Budget per project: €1M-€20M (most projects €3M-€10M) Eligible costs: Factory construction/fitting, production equipment purchase, qualification and testing costs, initial workforce recruitment and training Public contribution: 30-50% of project costs Annual budget: €200-400M Managed by: Bpifrance, with ADEME co-managing for ecological transition factories
Who Can Apply
- French SMEs with demonstrated technology (prototype or demonstrator exists)
- Startups seeking to build their first production line
- Spin-offs from research institutions moving to commercial production
- Mid-caps entering a new production technology area
Key requirement: proof that the technology works (a previous I-Nov or I-Démo, or equivalent private investment demonstrating technical viability).
First Factory Success Stories
Carbios (Clermont-Ferrand): Enzymatic PET plastic recycling pioneer. First Factory support for the first demonstration industrial plant (Saint-Fons, Rhône), proving the enzymatic depolymerization process at production scale before scaling to full commercial plants. Without First Factory, Carbios’ commercialization would have been 2-3 years slower.
Saurea (battery recycling): France 2030 First Factory support for France’s first dedicated lithium-ion battery black mass processing facility.
DNA Script (Paris): Enzymatic DNA synthesis — First Factory support for building the first SYNTAX machine production line.
Application Process
Applications via bpifrance-investissement.fr (continuous call in most sectors). Key documentation:
- Technology validation evidence (existing I-Démo results, prototype data, third-party validation)
- Factory business plan (production volumes, costs, revenue projections, 5-year plan)
- Site identification (owned or optioned industrial real estate)
- Partnership letter from first customers