As in recent years, most investors are from Italy: approximately 70% of all companies come from this Mediterranean country, with the next largest number hailing from Slovenia and Switzerland. Austria and in particular Carinthia remain an attractive location for investment. More often than not, companies from Italy and Slovenia in particular choose Carinthia as their first location for internationalisation in German-speaking countries. Investors not only appreciate the ‘made in Austria’ quality, but are also attracted to the security and stability of this location, the predictable tax and legal system as well as the generally company-friendly environment and great infrastructure.

Focusing on Italy, Slovenia and Germany, the BABEG directs its efforts to attract interested foreign companies at Carinthia’s areas of strength: Electronics|Microelectronics, Information and Communications Technology, Mechanical Engineering and Plant Engineering. The BABEG team is currently working on approximately 70 projects.

Examples of companies that have successfully settled in Carinthia

DMC Shop GmbH, Klagenfurt: The Direct Marketing Company (DMC) from San Marino is the market leader in the sale of consumer goods in DRTV in Italy and decided to set up their call centre and logistics platform as well as their headquarters for German-speaking countries in Klagenfurt. In the medium term, approximately 50 new jobs are planned in the areas of logistics, distribution and the call centre. ww.dmcshop.at

NiLAB GmbH, Villach: At the Villach High Tech Campus, this start-up originating in Italy produces miniature tubular linear motors, which are used in portable devices for the medical, semiconductor and packaging industries. At the TD|IKT Call Kärnten 2016, the company came first in the category ‘Industrie 4.0’ with the project ‘miniature tubular linear motors in nanomaterials with integrated control electronics’. In the next few years 5 new jobs will be created. www.ni-lab.online

eAssistent 4U GmbH, Klagenfurt: This Slovenian company develops and sells educational software. The software in the form of an app targets headmasters, teachers, students, pupils and parents to increase interaction and reduce administration and red tape. In Carinthia the support of ‘test schools’ has already been secured with e.g. the HTL Ferlach. Carinthia serves as their starting point for expanding into the German-speaking market. 7 new jobs will be created. www.easistent.com

IoT 40 Systems, Internet of Things GmbH, Klagenfurt: This company from Switzerland settled in the Lakeside Park Klagenfurt and operates in the area of software development and Internet of Things applications in terms of machine-machine, human-machine and human-human interaction. 10 new jobs will be created. www.iot40systems.com