Strong Nervous System for the Austrian Economy Semiconductors for the world, robotics for industry and data communications for NASA: information and communication technologies provide additional impetus to Austria as a business location. Information and communication technologies (ICT) have penetrated all areas of our daily life, like a nervous system. They are key technologies in our economy and the main driving force behind the development of our societies. Austria is promoting this important field of technology and has evolved into a top business location for the ICT sector. Many large international companies have done their share and have been steadily investing in the country. However, many medium-sized Austrian enterprises have also achieved top positions on the global ICT market. The main pre-requisite is intensive research carried out in these technological areas, supported by the public sector on the basis of funding programs and last but not least an attractive tax system. ICT as an economic factor The ICT sector in Austria generates about 7.6 percent of total value creation. However, as generic technologies, ICT also impacts other sectors and enhances their productivity. An overall production value of EUR 31 billion including indirect effects can be assigned to the ICT sector. On balance, the ICT industry secures about 226,000 jobs in Austria (source: Association of the Austrian Electrical and Electronics Industry). 14,050 companies in the ICT sector = 4.6 percent of all Austrian firms Revenue: EUR 21.8 billion = 7.6 percent of Austria’s GDP 79,500 employees = 3 percent of the entire workforce Data 2010, Source: Status of ICT in Austria, Competence Center Internet Society (Version 2013) Strong commitment of multinationals Thanks to their commitment to Austria as a business location, multinational companies make a major contribution to the strength of the ICT sector and its high level of research intensity. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Infineon Technologies Austria has been given global business responsibility within the German semiconductor group for six production lines. According to the business magazine trend, Infineon was the most research-intensive industrial company in Austria in 2013 (see ICT hotspots). Philips operates a high-tech facility in Vienna, manufacturing products in the fields of Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting, as well as a competence center for research and development. Microsoft has been represented in Austria with its own subsidiary since 1991 and has also owned Vexcel Imaging, its own R&D subsidiary in Graz, since 2006. Siemens Austria is one of the leading suppliers of automation and software solutions for industry. Sony DADC produces storage media for game consoles of the Japanese group and exports them to Europe, Africa and Australia. Top positions on the global market thanks to Austrian know-how ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ AT&S is a globally positioned producer and technology leader on the market for high quality circuit boards. austriamicrosystems ranks among the leading semiconductor developers in the world. Its microchips have now found their way into almost every area of life e.g. mobile phones, audio/video players, ebook readers, heart pacemakers, computer tomography and digital radiology. BEKO is the leading Austrian supplier of comprehensive cross-industry systems solutions for industrial companies, the public sector, the telecommunications and financial sectors. Bernecker & Rainer, specializing in process automation, develops control systems for industrial facilities which are used just as much by packaging companies such as Tetrapak as automotive firms such as Audi and BMW. Kapsch TrafficCom is a global supplier of intelligent traffic systems. It has reference projects in 44 countries in its core business of electronic toll systems. Runtastic, an Upper Austrian start-up, has been able to attract 110 million customers for its mobile phone App for joggers. The Springer Group acquired a stake in Runtastic in 2013. SkiData, part of the Swiss Kudelski Group since 2001, is the leading supplier of access control systems in the public sphere, and boasts some 10,000 customers, from ski lifts and sports stadiums to airports. A large number of Austrian ICT suppliers and appliers have achieved a top global market position with their products. The broad spectrum ranges from semiconductor producers and App providers to automation specialists and developers of access systems. The strength of Austria as an ICT powerhouse is also reflected in the widespread use of information and communication technologies by the companies themselves. 98% have Internet access, and more than 93% boast broadband connections (Source: Statistics Austria). Solid basis thanks to intensive research The pre-requisite for the success on global markets is intensive research. The Research Promotion Agency ranks Austria among the top three European ICT locations. Total research expenditures were already put at EUR 1.37 billion in 2006. Austria’s ICT firms also perform outstandingly well in EU framework programs. The coefficient of financial return from EU funding recently totaled 185 percent. Corporate research is also supported by targeted public sector funding programs, for example the umbrella initiative “ICT of the Future“. A great deal of ICT research is carried out by the competence centers involved in the Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies (COMET) funding program featuring a budget of EUR 1.5 billion. Companies and academic institutions work together in specified research programs. Many of these centers put a strong focus on ICT research. ICT research in competence centers ■ LCM: Linz Center of Mechatronics: intelligent networking of informatics, mechanics and electronics ■ Virtual Vehicle: efficient vehicle development and mobility concepts based on simulation (Graz) ■ VRVis: Center for Virtual Reality and Visualization (Vienna) ■ SCCH: Software Competence Center Hagenberg, software engineering at the highest level ■ Evolaris: Competence Center for Mobile Communication and Innovation (Graz and Vienna) ■ KNOW: Competence Center for Knowledge-Based Applications and Systems (Graz) ■ SBA 2: Secure Business Austria, Research Center for Information Security (Vienna) ICT hotspots in Austria Strong international player: Infineon Technologies Austria Every third smartphone in the world is equipped with a silicon microphone produced by Infineon’s Austrian subsidiary in Villach. Infineon Technologies Austria is a flagship company in Austria’s ICT sector, specializing in power electronics and energy-saving chips. In 2013, the company won the Austrian State Award for Innovation, honoring its development of a wafer boasting a diameter of 300 millimeters, which in turn increased its efficiency by 30 percent. An Austrian pioneer: Frequentis As a medium-sized enterprise, Frequentis has evolved into the number one global supplier of control center solutions. Frequentis, a specialist for communication and information systems in security-critical areas, played a key role in the 1990s in introducing fully digital voice communication systems in air traffic control. Later on, its diversification in other business segments led to a contract to set up an integrated communications system for Scotland Yard. A high-tech start-up: TTTech The Viennese company TTTech, a spin-off of the Vienna University of Technology, will be involved when people start their journey to Mars in 2030 or later. Thanks to its technology TTEthernet, it is represented in the new space capsule Orion developed for this purpose by NASA. TTEthernet ensures absolute fail-proof real-time communication, and is based on the experience gained by TTTEch from its collaboration from all major manufacturers in the aviation sector. Audi is also working with TTTech on developing a self-driving car. A software biotope: Hagenberg The Softwarepark Hagenberg near Linz is a small Austrian Silicon Valley, a biotope for start-ups in the software sector. Founded in 1989 as a spin-off of Johannes Kepler University of Linz, it has become a perfect example of efficient networking, linking education, research and the corporate sector. Some 1,050 experts work at twelve research facilities in the software park and 70 companies, offering 23 courses of studies. A total of 1,560 people study at the university of applied sciences as well as at the university institutes. Broad-based research promotion, attractive tax system Public authorities provide support to the ICT sector via: _ non-theme-specific funding by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) _ direct funding in the thematic umbrella program “ICT of the Future” of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency _ the competence center funding program COMET _ the pre-seed and seed funding programs for company founders of the Austrian funding bank AWS In addition, Austria offers an investment-friendly tax system featuring a ten percent tax credit for investments in research as well as a uniform corporate tax rate of 25 percent.
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