Green Austria

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Leoben-Donawitz: Over the last ten years, Styria has become an innovational location with
dynamics of its own.
magazine recently analysed 1207 European
regions following twelve typical location factors
for technologically challenging industrial
firms (including regional availability of
labourers, labour costs, yearly hours, taxes on
income, distances from major highways, airports,
signs of crime and corruption as well
as long-term chances of growth). As a result,
Austria - and especially the locations of Graz
and Eastern Styria - were given a truly attractive
report card. Both regions are part of the
top ten regions in Austria for high-tech companies.
In the future too, Styria will concentrate
on its intellectual capital, its employees’
qualifications as well as innovation. Five universities,
a wide range of different colleges
of higher education and the Joanneum Research,
one of Europe’s largest centres for research
and technology, are the source of the
region’s good innovational and competitive
ability. Since the country’s raw materials are
not buried in the ground but can be found in
people’s heads, Styria is the first region to systematically
make use of its creative potential.
Infineon Austria:
A Successful Competence Center for Micro-electronics
Infineon Austria has been able to increase its international competence
in research, development and production in the automotive, industrial
and multi-market sectors, as well as in communication solutions,
during the past few years. Its technological know-how makes Infineon
an important pillar for Austria as a business and research location.
Infineon Technologies Austria AG, a subsidiary of international
semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies
AG, has a successful strategy: namely, the expansion
of research and development as well as their role in
microchip production. Infineon Austria employs around
2,700 people from 35 countries, of whom 800 are working
in research and development, in Villach, Klagenfurt,
Graz, Linz and Vienna. The firm is the largest private employer
in Carinthia. Around 790 employees of partner
companies are also on site. Some 5,000 people at Infineon's
800 suppliers and service providers owe their jobs
to the firm. Infineon's innovative ability and value creation
are very important to the region.
PROMOTION
Infineon strengthens research and development
As a leading firm, Infineon Technologies Austria emphasises
cooperation in business and research. Infineon is a
founding member of Carinthian micro-electronics cluster
me2c, a combination of more than one hundred regional
companies, educational institutions and research centers
in the areas of electronics and micro-electronics. As an
automotive undertaking, Infineon is a partner member of
auto-cluster ACstyria. A competence center for automotive
and industrial electronics (KAI) was recently established
at Villach Technology Park. At KAI, firms such as
Infineon, Magna Steyr, EPCOS and Flextronics, as well as
Austrian research institutes, are conducting research,
among other things, on reducing the sensitivity of electronic
auto parts to heat and cold.
8 LOCATIONAUSTRIA 02/2006