Route des Lasers, a competitiveness cluster for photonics and laser technology companies, and Elopsys, a competitiveness cluster for photonics, microwave and digital technologies, have merged to become Route des Lasers & des Hyperfréquences (ALPHA-RLH). The new cross-disciplinary technology cluster ALPHA-RLH inherits 250 members including many major global organizations such as the Thales Group, Dassault Aviation SA, Airbus Safran Launchers SAS, Safran Helicopters and CEA-Leti, a microelectronic and nanotechnology research center. Cluster members have contributed to economic growth and development in the Aquitaine regionby directly generating close to 6,500 highly skilled jobs and indirectly creating a further 20,000. Jean-Pierre Giannini, director of CEA/Cesta and former director of Route des Lasers, will serve as president of ALPHA-RLH. Hervé Floch, former director of Route des Lasers, has been appointed general director of ALPHA-RLH. Thomas Colombeau, former director of Elopsys, will serve as deputy director of ALPHA-RLH. “With our combined expertise and deep understanding of photonics, lasers, microwave and digital technologies that are deployed by most industrial firms, ALPHA-RLH has a major competitive advantage,” Floch said. “We are now in a stronger position to accompany the rise and structural growth of the cutting-edge photonics sector at regional and national levels. The new cluster is better equipped to overcome all the challenges needed to successfully take a project from concept to end-product. We have the qualities, attributes and resources to become the benchmark for microwave and photonics in France and draw greater international business interests to the Aquitaine region.”