Innovation, research and development in the Bouygues group
The culture of innovation at Bouygues is directed towards the creation of high value-added products and services in all the Group's businesses. The Group's innovation approach focuses on the development of new products and materials and, to a very considerable extent, involves combining products and services in order to provide an integrated response to customer demand.
Innovation initiatives are closely linked to the particular features of each business and concentrate on finding operational solutions. Most of the Group's research, development and innovation teams are housed within its subsidiaries.
The Group spent €121 million on research and development in 2008.
The key features of the Bouygues group's innovation approach are:
involving as many staff as possible in the quest for innovative solutions;
promoting exchanges between players inside and outside the Group.
In order to facilitate exchanges within the Group, in 2005 Bouygues created an Innovation function which brings together some 450 managers from its different businesses in forums that include information seminars and committees focusing on specific issues.
Cooperation between business areas is systematically sought on practical projects put forward by subsidiaries in order to reap maximum benefit from groupwide expertise. In addition to these projects, structured work is carried out on strategic cross-cutting themes. Three such themes were the subject of particular study in 2008: sustainable construction, telecoms/internet/media convergence and the organisation of cooperation with start-ups.
To nurture and develop this innovation culture, each business regularly organises innovation events and forums to showcase their latest achievements and shine the spotlight on employees who have made particularly valuable contributions.
(Updated: April 2009)
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