- 2020 INTEGRATED REPORT 34 VALUE CREATION A CULTURE OF DIALOGUE AND PARTNERSHIP LISTEN TO OUR STAKEHOLDERS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR EXPECTATIONS 20 laboratories created with research institutes More than 200 doctoral students supported worldwide 30 framework agreements with universities and public research centres in Asia, the United States and Europe The Group’s ongoing dialogue with its main stakeholders and internal work involving most of the Group’s functions have made it possible to identify and classify Thales’s environmental, social and economic challenges in terms of stakeholders’ expectations and their impact on Group activities. These business priorities have been formalised through a materiality matrix presented below. In addition, in-depth work was also carried out to determine Thales’s level of performance on each business priority. The inclusion of a third dimension in this matrix makes it possible to refine the strategy and policies implemented by the Group, resulting in better anticipation of expectations and an ability to seize opportunities. The rapid transformation of society, the globalisation of trade and the development of digital technologies are generating new challenges in terms of responsibility and ethics for both Thales and its stakeholders. Thales’s teams are committed to interacting constructively with their ecosystem in the firm belief that listening to stakeholders is a precious source of knowledge, and that different points of view enrich the decision- making process. These exchanges between Thales and its stakeholders are structured so that the relevant information, frameworks and spaces for dialogue are appropriate for each stakeholder, depending on the business priorities.