Presentation and aims

Secure electronic transactions are a fundamental and strategic challenge for today's and tomorrow's society. 

Their mission is one of building confidence and security.

Relying on cooperation from business and research and training institutions, the TES cluster has chosen to take on this challenge, requiring the command of a global issue involving technological innovation, usage, marketing and legal expertise, to develop an international site of reference.

What are secure electronic transactions?

Secure Electronic Transactions are a combination of electronic, computing and data communication techniques enabling the reliable and secure exchange of information in a wide range of application domains.

Changes in usage, the "electronisation" of certain daily gestures, together with the internationalisation of standards and legislation, are all factors bearing a strong influence on the field of Secure Electronic Transactions.

The stakes involved

Secure electronic transactions are the tip of an iceberg covering major stakes for the information society as well as up-to-the-minute issues concerning the respect of private life, consumer rights together with the need for traceability for certain operations.

It appears clear that the scale of such stakes should be considered on a global dimension.

Over the past ten years, the sector has developed considerably, boosted by the mobile phone boom and the escalating number of bankers cards.

However, other fields worthy of investigation are currently emerging and are likely to become new growth engines for the sector.  For example, the anticipated explosion of electronic labels, cards storing administrative information (daily life card, passport, etc...) and proximity operations (payment, access).

The cluster's aims 

The Lower Normandy Region offers unique advantages, reuniting the essential skills and expertise for the accomplishment of an ambitious secure electronic transactions programme.

In order to seize market opportunities and to guarantee the protection of key technologies, the cluster's ambition is to shape the secure electronic transactions sector and to become:

• Within five years, the European point of reference in terms of R&D, training and industrial development in the field of secure electronic transactions;
• A pilot region, cradle of large scale product, service and usage experimentation;
• A place of influence and convergence of knowledge and know-how based on the capacity to materialise innovative projects and to conclude cooperative partnerships on a national and international scale.