2009-02-13 15:16:08
Information for investors
| Companies | In Styria there are about 33.000 companies, with a large part of SMEs. About 500 companies have more than 100 employees (70 of them more than 500, 20 more than 1000 employees). Most important is the sector of industry and industrial services (38 %). Furthermore there are about 44.000 farms cultivating 830.000 ha forest and 460.000 ha agricultural area. |
| Universities | Five Universities and two Universities for Applied Sciences (Fachhochschulen) are situated in Graz, one University (of Mining) in Leoben. |
| Institutions
| The Regional Government of Styria (Steiermärkische Landesregierung) and the Styrian Chamber of Commerce (Wirtschaftskammer Steiermark) offer services for Companies and investors. |
Undertaking initiatives
| Styrian Business Promotion The Styrian Business Promotion Agency SFG (Steirische Wirtschaftsförderungs GmbH) is a modern economically-oriented service enterprise. The declared aim of the entire organization and its staff is to contribute essentially to the strengthening and growth of the Styrian economy. They offer financial support as well as comprehensive counselling on support, information platforms, contacts and the possibility of events. SFG promotes and co-sponsors impetus centres such as technology parks, new business centres, etc. and also supports outstanding projects such as the ACS Automobile Cluster Styria, the HCS Wood Cluster Styria and the Styrian competence centres. Promotions regarding the individual strategic guidelines: • R&D and Innovation • Exports + Investments • Cluster + Networks • Start-Up + Independence • Learning + Further Education • Regions + Locations • Innovative Investments Solid own capital, respectively (mezzanine) capital resources is important for every business. This is found to be a weak point especially among Austrian small and medium enterprises. Because of this background, dynamic business developments and projects with a high innovation potential can not be financed of earned amounts, respectively of existing own capital. Within the scope of the strategic guideline “Innovative Financing” commercial and industrial enterprises, as well as entrepreneurial-related service businesses, are offered easier access to finances by the provision and intervention of own capital in the narrower and broader sense (venture capital, a-typical silent partner’s holding) and mezzanine capital (typical silent partner’s holding). Because of the equity based participation of the Styrian Business Promotion Agency, also a closed link to the Styrian Technology and Growth Funds Participation AG exists, which supports Styrian enterprises, especially at expansion phases, with own capital or a similar to own-capital financing. The liability business with the action program “Market Development” provides the other main focus. This program supports Styrian enterprises at market development intentions and participations in international tenders. The support happens by taking over of a warranting in case of failure at the entering the market. Regional Internationalisation Styria The Internationalisation Centre Styria was founded in 2005 by the Land Steiermark, the Styrian Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Styrian Industrials to assist companies in foreign trade and cross border co-operation as well as to promote the Regional Internationalisation programme (RIST) of the Land Steiermark. They organize Business to Business meetings and workshops and run the RIST-database with more than 300 projects with a total volume of appr. 1 Mrd. €. |
Other
| Traffic connections Road and Railway: Two main rail and road routes (A2 Südautobahn, A9 Pyhrnautobahn) connect Styria with the destinations to east-west and north-south. Air: The Graz Airport has daily flights to main air traffic centres (Vienna, Frankfurt, London) |
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