© Michael Stabentheiner
It takes years to grow an innovative environment. But Carinthia has
successfully done just that and is now a European hotspot, especially for
the microelectronics industry. As a result, other promising industries are
also choosing to base themselves in Austria’s southernmost province.
The driving factor behind this success is the perfect teamwork between the
business and scientific communities that has developed over the years.
While first-class tech-companies such as Infineon, Intel, flex, CISC Semiconductor
and LAM Research were setting up shop in Carinthia, an excellent research network
was also being established. Be it at Joanneum Research Robotics, at
Fraunhofer Austria or in the Silicon Austria Labs – in Carinthia, research is focused
above all on areas with a promising future, and academia and business work hand in hand.
It takes years to establish a successful business location. In Carinthia too, this did not happen overnight, but was the result of continuous and persistent endeavours. The most important steps toward Carinthia’s success:
Infineon is without a doubt one of the big players in Carinthia. This success story began 50 years ago in Villach when Siemens launched its diode production. Half a century later, Infineon Austria, the company that emerged from the Siemens Group, employs some 4,600 people in Carinthia. Villach enjoys a well-deserved reputation as an innovation factory that produces more than 8 billion semi-conductor chips each year. The latest chapter in this success story: The opening of a fully-automated 300-millimeter wafer semiconductor chip factory and an additional research building in autumn 2021.
© Monte Nero Productions
Infineon is not the only top company from the tech industry to have set up shop in Carinthia. With international corporations like Intel, flex, CISC Semiconductor and Lam Research as well as local players such as Ortner Reinraumtechnik, Augmensys, PMS Elektro- und Automationstechnik, and Wild Hi-Precision, Carinthia is a microelectronics hotspot in Europe. A total of 277 companies in Carinthia are engaged in work and research in the field of microelectronics and Electronic Based Systems (EBS), and the number is growing all the time.
Founded in the 1970s above all as a university for teacher training, the University of Klagenfurt began to boom in the first decade of the twenty-first century when the Faculty of Technical Sciences was founded. The main focus of the university’s work is applied sciences. In cooperation with local companies, the university is conducting intensive research in the areas of informatics, IT and artificial intelligence (AI). As a result, an ever-increasing number of future-oriented local industries have been strengthened by highly trained specialists from all over the world.
uniklu/BIG
Carinthia has thrived as a centre of business and research, especially since the Lakeside Park was founded in 2005. More than 70 companies with 1,400 employees (and numbers are still rising) are engaged in research on the 34,000 square metre site next door to the University of Klagenfurt. The Future Campus is a highly specialised location for ICT research and development, an attractive education hub for everyone between the ages of 1 and 100 and the home of a dynamic, creative and successful start-up scene.
© Michael Stabentheiner
Generating new knowledge and developing new products and services that can compete successfully on global markets can only be done in the right environment. Bernhard Lamprecht, managing director of the internationally respected innovation centre Lakeside Park near the University of Klagenfurt, and Michael Velmeden, CEO of cms electronics gmbh, give their insights.
Managing director of the innovation centre Lakeside Park Klagenfurt
Mr Lamprecht, Lakeside Park recently celebrated its 15th birthday. Mr Velmeden, cms electronics has been involved in electronics manufacturing, from the idea to the finished solution, for a similar length of time. When you both think back to the beginnings, how has networking between science and business developed over these years?
Lamprecht: The impact of the Lakeside Park’s success story is now felt far beyond Carinthia’s borders, and especially in recent times has become very visible, what with the largest drone hall in Europe, the Robotics Research Lab and 5G Playground, the digital kindergarten, as well as the Educational Lab, which seeks to get young people interested in STEM subjects. The original development plans for Lakeside Park envisaged 10 buildings by 2015, but this construction phase was in fact completed five years ahead of schedule, in 2010. And right now, we are in the middle of the sixth construction phase, as the success story continues unabated.
Velmeden: Yes, I share the view that things have developed very positively. Even though tourism remains the leading economic sector in many places, Carinthia has also made a name for itself as a centre of technology. The most important industries include the electrical and electronic sectors as well as metal technology. The timber industry also makes a significant contribution to Carinthia’s economic output. We now have more than 400 companies and more than 26,000 employees in industry.
Apropos technology region – this requires large numbers of skilled workers. How is Carinthia positioned in this respect?
Velmeden: You can always find skilled workers and specialists. The many well-known employers in the industrial sector have made Carinthia an attractive location. These industrial companies also attract research and development-intensive organisations to the region, which means that Carinthia is also a knowledge leader. Moreover, the level of education here is very high. The University of Klagenfurt, for example, enjoys an excellent reputation. Our universities of applied sciences are also in great demand as they allow people to combine education with a career. Companies too like to leverage these synergies.
Lamprecht: People are always attracted to places where something new is being created and something is happening. The companies, research institutes and the Educational Lab at Lakeside Park are proof of this. As a science & technology park, we have to constantly stay focused on innovation to spark the interest of talented people who are looking for exciting perspectives. Children are a wonderful example: just see the enthusiasm with which they “work” in the digital kindergarten for example, or in the modules of the Educational Lab. These youngsters are the researchers and business founders of tomorrow who are already with us today.
That sounds like a fertile environment for application-oriented research and development. How is this collaboration between business and research reflected in specific projects or companies?
Lamprecht: I can give you an example from Lakeside Park. A thesis on the digital simulation of industrial production plants at the university recently led to the establishment of a start-up with appropriate partners in conjunction with the Park. Today, the company employs more than 20 people. It also convinced its strategic industrial partner of the advantages of the park and the latter has since set up its own department for the digital development of its own production here.
Velmeden: Our company has numerous points of contact with science. These include projects funded by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) in which we collaborated with the Vienna University of Technology and Silicon Alps Labs, formerly CTR. Secondly, through our partners, especially in the field of automation, where we use the latest robotics, sensor and image recognition technologies in customer projects. In addition, we were directly involved with setting up the endowed chair “Industry 4.0: Adaptive and Networked Production Systems” at the University of Klagenfurt and were a supporting member.
Lamprecht: I believe this interaction is hugely important as our future will depend to a large extent on how effectively research, innovation and digitalisation function in business and industry, and above all, on how dialogue within organisations works. This is precisely where I see our task and I believe education also has an important role to play – our Education Lab focuses on facilitating learning in STEM subjects.
And now for a personal question: Can you tell us what you particularly like about Carinthia?
Velmeden: Gladly. The region and its people, the cultural diversity with its proximity to Slovenia and Italy, being close to the sea. But also, the many lakes, where you can go swimming in summer, and the mountains for hiking in summer and skiing in winter. We live and work where other people go on holiday.
Lamprecht: I totally agree with Mr Velmeden. For me, Carinthia stands for innovation, cosmopolitanism and quality of life. As someone who is originally from Carinthia, it’s been great to move back to Carinthia after 20 years in Vienna; there will be plenty of others seeking to imitate the quality of life we enjoy here, especially in times like these.
@ Amt der Kärntner Landesregierung
There are plenty more exciting stories about Carinthia for entrepreneurs, founders and investors in the location marketing brochure. We are also very happy to receive your enquiries.
