Steiermark: Styrian Business Promotion Agency SFG
Key Competitive Attractions
Invest in Styria
Styria – the second largest province of Austria – has about 1.2 million inhabitants and is situated central to the emerging markets of South-Eastern Europe with about 20 million people. Graz, the capital city of Styria, is an old university town with a population in the greater area of about 400,000 permanent inhabitants. With seven universities, a broad range of R&D and competence centres and its own research institution called Joanneum Research, Styria is Austria’s top engineering, science and research province. With an R&D rate of 4.3 % Styria is not only the leading region in Austria, it is also among the top European regions.
The outstanding facts:
- stimulating economic environment with a mix of large multinational companies as well as innovative SMEs
- three economic core competences: mobility (automotive, rail, aviation) - healthtech (medtech, biotech, food tech) - ecotech (energy and environmental technologies, wood, pulp & paper)
- high-level research and educational infrastructure
- attractive tax conditions for headquarters and R&D activities
- attractive financial support programs especially for R&D
- highly qualified and motivated workforce and moderate labour cost
- international Graz Airport and the CCG Cargo-Center-Graz, one of the largest cargo centers in CE
Assistance and Support For New Business Investors
Looking to invest in Styria? As a 100 % daughter company of the Styrian Government, SFG operates all business support tasks for its owner. This includes the provision of monetary support with a broad range of grant and financing programs, as well as tasks like raising and directing clusters and networks, technology parks, technologoy transfer, and consulting foreign investors.
The Investors Service Department helps with the following tasks:
- information support about general and economic conditions in Austria and Styria
- organization of fact finding missions
- information and consultancy about own financial support programs as well as programmes of third parties
- support in site selection
- finding partners and service providers
- integrating in existing clusters, networks and centers of competence
- help with official channels
- attendance during the whole process of a new business establishment
- help for expatriates
