Focus on innovative & technology-oriented companies
BABEG Kärntner Betriebsansiedlungs- und Beteiligungsgesellschaft with its focus on innovative, technology-oriented companies in Carinthia's areas of expertise supported fifteen of these companies in establishing their businesses in Carinthia. The company aims to widen the innovative lead of Carinthia. The target markets are Italy, Slovenia and Germany. The reliable cooperation partner for the support of all other projects is the national investment promotion company "ABA-Invest in Austria".

"Bringing companies to Carinthia is an important pillar of economic development, and the 2017 result shows that we are heading in the right direction. It is not only about attracting foreign companies to Carinthia, we also intend to increase awareness of the areas of strength that Carinthia has to offer, especially in research and technology", says Mag. Hans Schönegger, CEO of BABEG.

"We wish to offer our customers professional support and guidance during the settlement process. The many years of successful cooperation between ABA and BABEG provide us with the ideal basis for offering international investors high-level customer support and service ", says René Siegl, CEO ABA-Invest in Austria.

Slovenia as the strongest Investor
By contrast with previous years, Slovenia has now moved into the lead making the biggest investments in Carinthia in 2017, followed by Italy and Germany. Foreign investors most appreciate the attractive infrastructure and well-developed research environment in Austria and Carinthia. Carinthia is also often chosen as the first international location by companies who seek to develop the German, Swiss and Austrian markets. The attractiveness and competitive advantage of Austria and/or Carinthia lie in the safe and stable environment, the reliable fiscal and legal system, a generally business-friendly attitude and not least the quality seal "Made in Austria".

Carinthian Vice-Governor Dr. Gaby Schaunig is pleased about the positive development. "The good development in the number of international investments in Carinthia shows that BABEG is doing an excellent job. With the integration of international business settlement in BABEG we were able to minimise costs, increase efficiency and leverage synergies. The focus on companies with high innovative potential is rewarding in the long-term. Many of the companies that set up new business operations in our region come from the field of digitisation; this means that we are attracting future-oriented and path-breaking know-how to Carinthia", says Schaunig.

Some of the companies that decided to invest in Carinthia in 2017:

ONDA TLC GmbH — Italy: The company with its registered offices at Lakeside Science &Technology Park in Klagenfurt works in the telecommunications field and focuses on three product lines: mobile phones (special mobile phones for senior citizens and rugged work mobiles), trackers and home security. The main market is currently Italy, but the company is planning to expand to Austria and Europe. ONDA launched the first Android retro-mobile with physical keys on the market in 2017. The phone is called Frizzy and offers WhatsApp, Facebook and Gmail as standard features. www.ondatlc.com

AlpVent Austria — Slovenia: AlpVent is a specialist for investment focused on promising start-ups. The company offers investment capital and management consulting to founders, mainly in the sales area, with the aim of testing the products on the market and making product adaptations where necessary. These services are currently available in the German-speaking countries and in the markets of Southeast Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia). The company premises are at Lakeside Park, Klagenfurt. www.alpvent.com

Quaternity Service AT GmbH - Switzerland: The company develops and sells software for the energy sector. The establishment in Klagenfurt is the second Austrian site of this Swiss company and will also operate as its headquarters. www.quaternity.ch

Forecast for 2018
In its support for foreign companies, BABEG concentrates on the main areas of strength of Carinthia, i.e. electronics/microelectronics, IT and communication technology, mechanical engineering and plant engineering. The BABEG team is currently working on some 65 projects.