San Diego to France 2025
Wheels up after another successful trade mission—our eighth since relaunching World Trade Center San Diego as a public-private partnership focused on creating jobs at home by building opportunities abroad. In late September 2025, a cross-sector coalition of more than 30 San Diego business, academic, and civic leaders traveled to France, led by Representative Scott Peters and Mayor Todd Gloria.
The timing could not have been more critical. Markets are volatile, supply chains are shifting, and global policy is in flux. Yet, beneath this uncertainty lies opportunity: The chance to forge partnerships that create stability, unlock investment, and drive job growth. As Representative Peters reminded us during the trip, France is one of America’s oldest allies—and these strong subnational ties matter more than ever when federal commitments to science, energy transition, and global collaboration are under pressure.
Over the course of the week, the San Diego delegation made major strides:
- Strengthening research ties: UC San Diego and San Diego State University advanced collaborations with French research institutes like CNRS in chemistry and marine biology, while Biocom and Eurobiomed doubled down on their partnership to support life sciences companies across the Atlantic.
- Pitching San Diego to investors: With the U.S. Embassy and Dentons, we showcased San Diego’s growth sectors to more than 30 French companies, while Sanofi hosted a wide-ranging discussion on AI, mRNA, and U.S. expansion.
- Driving the clean energy future: General Atomics marked its contribution to ITER, the world’s largest scientific collaboration, while leading efforts to commercialize fusion energy back in California. (Stay tuned for a deep dive into fusion in EDC’s upcoming study!)
- Expanding city-to-city ties: The City of San Diego signed a new Sister City Agreement with Marseille, opening the door for deeper collaboration in ports, blue tech, life sciences, and tourism.
- Maximizing global events: San Diego partners engaged with Paris Olympics 2024 to ensure our region captures economic benefits from LA28 and the 2026 World Cup.
These are more than symbolic wins—they are investments in San Diego’s future. Every strengthened research partnership, every pitch to global investors, every commitment from an international company represents jobs and opportunity here at home.
As Mayor Gloria so often reminds us, San Diego has both beauty and brains. Our team takes great pride in marketing San Diego to partners near and far, but nothing is more powerful than showing up and telling our story face-to-face. Our delegation did just that—showcasing our region to French partners and investors. And this last week in France is just the tip of the iceberg: The real work of a trade mission is in the months prior that set the stage, and the weeks and months after, when the impacts become clear.
A special thank you to the nearly three dozen San Diego delegates, from global employers like Qualcomm, ASML, Cubic Corporation, and General Atomics; to small businesses and venture investors including Ambix Ventures, GEN2X, and La Jolla Labs; and our research universities, trade associations, and civic leaders—all of whom make this mission possible. Convened by the founding partners of World Trade Center San Diego—the Port of San Diego, San Diego International Airport, and the City of San Diego—this coalition proves the power of showing up, together.
Nikia Clarke
Chief Strategy Officer, EDC; Exec. Director, WTCSD