Two awards for the Hauts-de-France region

at the Financial Times Investment Impact Awards

ProLogium and AstraZeneca were honored on Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at the inaugural Investment Impact Awards ceremony organized by the Financial Times. Find out more about the only two French projects in the awards.

Published on 10.03.2026

ProLogium and AstraZeneca
rewarded by the Financial Times

The Hauts-de-France region is reasserting its economic appeal on a European scale.

Each year, fDi Intelligence, a specialist division of the Financial Times, recognizes transformative investment projects in Europe.

This year, two foreign direct investment (FDI) projects based in the Hauts-de-France region were honored.

They were the only French projects featuring in the awards:

ProLogium’s gigafactory in Dunkirk was ranked as the mega project with the most impact in Europe
AstraZeneca’s new investment in Dunkirk was ranked among the top 10 mid-sized projects with the most impact in Europe

“These two distinctions from the Financial Times are more than just institutional accolades, they validate location choices made within the context of open competition at the European level. ProLogium studied 150 sites before choosing Dunkirk. AstraZeneca has been present here since 1990, and over the years has developed its facility into a global benchmark for the production of inhaled medicines, investing more than €600 million over a decade to make it a center of excellence. These concrete achievements have been recognized by the Financial Times, and this is the industrial reality of the Hauts-de-France region.”
Luc Doublet, Chairman of Nord France Invest

The first Investment Impact Awards ceremony held in Cannes

For the first time, the Financial Times organized an awards ceremony for the winners of its 2026 ranking.

The British daily newspaper drew on the international reach of the trade show MIPIM to organize this ceremony in conjunction with the event in Cannes.

Yann Pitollet, Managing Director of Nord France Invest, took advantage of his scheduled trip to the MIPIM to accompany AstraZeneca and receive the award on behalf of ProLogium, which was unfortunately unable to attend.

Investment Impact Awards:
rewarding transformative projects in Europe

For this first edition of the Investment Impact Awards, fDi Intelligence received 106 applications from across European.

The projects were independently assessed by a panel of six foreign direct investment experts.

The aim was to highlight the companies and regions driving change in Europe.

The projects were judged not only on job creation and investment volumes, but also on:

their potential to boost productivity and innovation,
their alignment with European strategic objectives,
and their contribution to sustainability and inclusion.

The nominees were divided into two main categories: announced projects and operational projects.

Each of these categories was further divided by size: mega projects (over $500 million), mid-sized projects ($50 to $500 million) and small projects.

ProLogium, the announced mega project
with the most potential impact in Europe

ProLogium, a pioneer in solid electrolyte batteries, chose Dunkirk as the location for its first factory outside Taiwan, following a rigorous global localization assessment.

🔎Discover the electric mobility sector in Hauts-de-France

This project positions Dunkirk as one of the central sites for the battery industry in Europe, thanks to:

an investment of €5.2 billion
a commitment to create 3,000 jobs when the gigafactory reaches full capacity
a target production capacity of 48GWh (deployed in phases)

The gigafactory will produce fourth-generation solid-state lithium-ceramic batteries, a technology that is safer and has a higher energy density than conventional lithium-ion batteries, for the European electric vehicle market.

The first phase of production is scheduled to start in 2028.

“Building on our production experience, we are rolling out our first mass production facility in Europe and will build the Dunkirk lines using a platform approach, to ensure reliable and consistent production”
Vincent Yang, Founder and CEO of ProLogium

🔎Find out more about the project and the support provided by the Investir en Hauts-de-France network.

AstraZeneca, a high-impact mid-sized project
in Europe

AstraZeneca’s regional subsidiary, based in Petite-Synthe near Dunkirk since 1990, has established itself as the group’s global center of excellence for the production of inhaled medicines (for the treatment of asthma and COPD).

🔎Discover the business advantages of the healthcare sector in Hauts-de-France.

Today, the site has:

800 employees, with more than 200 recruited since 2020
over €2 billion in annual turnover
99% of production exported to more than 75 countries

The Group’s objective is to produce 100 million units a year by 2030.

€600M of investment in 10 years

Over the course of a decade, the site will have attracted nearly €600 million in cumulative investments.

An initial €235 million phase was completed in 2020.

This was immediately followed by a €365 million program for 2020–2028, including:

five new buildings,
two new assembly lines,
the factory’s environmental transition.

“Our production volume is constantly increasing to meet global demand, and in this context of strong growth, we have also succeeded in decarbonizing our activities, which is a real source of pride for our teams.”
Welha Ziri, AstraZeneca Dunkirk Site Manager

Hauts-de-France, a region of excellence
hosting major industrial projects

By honoring two companies operating in the region, the Investment Impact Awards highlight Hauts-de-France’s ability to attract major international investment and ensure its long-term viability.

AstraZeneca chose to set up in the Hauts-de-France region thirty years ago.
Today, the site is a center of excellence and the group continues to invest in developing its regional subsidiary.

In 2021, ProLogium chose Dunkirk as the location for its European gigafactory from among nearly 150 other destinations.

These two investments are a sign of confidence in the region, in its industrial capacity, and in Europe’s ability to lead the energy transition.

For Hauts-de-France, these investments are more than just projects.

They are strong signals to investors around the world that the Hauts-de-France region is capable of meeting their major industrial ambitions.

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