The department of Ain is situated at a crossroads between major European trade routes which criss-cross the continent from north to south, and from east to west. It has a rapidly growing population which is being boosted by the area’s proximity to the agglomerations of Lyon and Geneva and its cross-border links with Switzerland. Ain is a highly industrialised department that attracts many companies, in particular as a result of the research and development centres that were set up there.