Market-driven R&D
SUEZ' innovation strategy is aimed firstly at its customers. The goal of R&D is to develop innovative solutions that satisfy the expectations of consumers, industrial companies and municipalities. It is strongly decentralized and driven mainly by the various business activities (energy, energy services, water, waste services), which have their own research resources, completely in line with market requirements. For the most part, innovations developed by the Group arise from close collaboration between the customer's technicians and experts, who identify specific requirements, and the R&D teams. New solutions are often tested and improved on site, under real operating conditions.
R&D in figures
SUEZ innovation strategy is based on a large number of projects in managerial, commercial and technical fields. In order to encourage these different initiatives, SUEZ dedicated a total of EUR 86 million to R&D in 2006. Furthermore, the Group has a portfolio of 320 patents.
