ONLYLYON Invest — Economic Development Agency for International Business Establishment in Lyon

ONLYLYON Invest (operating under the ONLYLYON & CO umbrella, formerly known as Aderly) is Lyon's official agency for attracting and supporting foreign direct investment and business establishment. Founded in 1974, it is co-chaired by Lyon Métropole and the Lyon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and counts 100 member organisations in its governance structure.

What it does: The agency provides a full project-lifecycle service — market analysis, real estate solutions, HR and mobility support, legal and tax guidance, and introductions to sector clusters — across Lyon's five pillars of excellence: health/biopharma, digital/AI, energy/cleantech, chemicals, and agri-food. On average it accompanies 60 investment projects per year, of which 40% involve foreign capital.

Results: The broader Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (of which Lyon Métropole is the economic core) received 146 FDI projects in 2023, placing it among the 15 most attractive European regions in the EY France Attractiveness Survey 2024. Lyon Métropole directly registered 48 FDI projects and 871 jobs created in the same year. Since the agency's founding in 1974, over 1,300 companies have been established with ONLYLYON Invest support, more than 60% with foreign capital.

Why it's a good practice: The 50-year institutional continuity, genuine co-governance between the city authority and the business community, and a structured impact-screening framework (environmental, societal, cooperative, productive and regional criteria) make ONLYLYON Invest a mature, accountable model for turning a city's sectoral strengths into sustained inward investment.

Read the full analysis: https://invest.onlylyon.com/