The Lyon Plaza Part Dieu Centre is located in the heart of France's second largest service sector district. The area is rapidly expanding as part of the city's commercial and urban development plan, to provide as many active service facilities as possible as well as good transport connections. Lyon actively encourages technological, organisational and social innovation in business and aims to become a world-class region for experimentation. Its track record is demonstrated by a high number of patent applications, inter-company collaborations and expenditure on research and development. There are 10,000 researchers and 500 laboratories in the city. The Lyon Plaza Part Dieu Centre is opposite one of the city's main high speed train (TGV) stations and within easy reach of Lyon Saint-Exupéry International Airport.