Styria. Where the future is taking place!

No other Austrian federal state brings as many innovations onto the market as Styria; the export market is growing more dynamically here than anywhere else. With a R&D quota of 4.3 %, Styria has been above the EU targets for many years. Alongside an outstanding training and research environment, the reason for this is the people: curiosity, persistence and entrepreneurial spirit characterise Styrians, as California's ex-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Red Bull creator Dietrich Mateschitz and the former No. 1 tennis champion Thomas Muster, prove.

Styria – the second largest province of Austria – counts 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 and has a population in the greater area of about 400,000 longterm 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.

The outstanding facts:

• stimulant economic environment with a mix of large multinational companies as well as innovative SMEs
• three economic core competences: Mobility (automotive, rail, aviation), Health Tech (medtech, biotech, foodtech), Eco Tech (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 Airport Graz and the CCG Cargo-Center-Graz as one of the largest cargo centers in CEE

Live and work where others holiday

In terms of life quality, Styria is top of the league in Europe. With its southern flair, it captivates both the people who work and live here as well as its guests: Styria is the most popular holiday destination for Austrians, 90 % come for the diverse landscape, the outstanding cuisine and the friendliness of the people.

European champion of dynamic exports

With an export growth of more than 40 % annually, Styria has worked its way up the European league. In particular, the leading companies in Styria’s core sectors have long since recognised Europe and the world as their market. The borders have also become too restricted for many suppliers as a result.

Stability and security for its people

Styria is quiet and socially balanced in terms of its employees: only three days of strikes in the last ten years, the best statistic in Europe. In terms of security, 1,000 leading global managers give Austria, and its south-eastern federal state, top marks.

The most qualified employees in Europe

Five universities (Karl-Franzens-Universitaet Graz, Medical University of Graz, University of Technology Graz, University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, Montanuniversitaet Leoben) with more than 40,000 students, internationally renowned universities of applied sciences (University of Applied Sciences for Industry CAMPUS02, University of Applied Sciences Joanneum) and countless research institutions (such as JOANNEUM RESEARCH) make Styria the brain pool of Europe and make it easy for companies to find specialists and key workers: the density of qualified professionals is the best anywhere in Europe; the engineers quota is even top in the EU.

Styrian core competences

The success of the Styrian economy is based on the following fields of competences, which are internationally successful thanks to top industrial companies, training and research facilities and cooperations between economy and science:

• Mobility (automotive, rail, aviation)
• Health Tech (medtech, biotech, foodtech)
• Eco Tech (energy and environmental technologies, wood, pulp & paper)

Major companies such as the paper corporation Sappi, the automotive industry supplier Magna and the medical engineering market leader Roche Diagnostics are at the head of Styria’s core sectors.

Styria, the Cluster State

Competence centres: Economics and Science in Unison

• "Innovation scout" Styria
• Facts and figures about Styria
• Leading companies of Styria
• Styrian clusters and networks
• Testimonials
• Locations-4-business