The French city of Grenoble, situated at the foot of the Alps in southeastern France, is an important scientific center. Forbes ranked Grenoble the fifth most innovative city in the world. Since 1997, AEPI-Invest in Grenoble-Isère, France Agency has been responsible for promoting the city and its surrounding area to innovative businesses and has attracted over 465 French and foreign companies to set up in the region, creating over 10,500 jobs.