1. ZIP Kick-off meeting – Mag. Irma Priedl ZIP Kick-Off meeting 27 September 2005

2. ZIP Kick-off meeting – Mag. Irma Priedl SummarySummary Regional Background Regional Challenges Innovation Strategy Description of the organisation

3. ZIP Kick-off meeting – Mag. Irma Priedl Regional Background: Lower Austria 1 General regional information Population: 1.55 m inhabitants Surface: Danube, pre-Alps; Area of 19.174 square km Main towns: –St. Pölten (50.000 inhabitants), capital city –Wiener Neustadt (40.000), –Krems (30.000), –Amstetten (30.000) Percentage agriculture/industry/service: 4,1% / 35,6% / 60,3% (basis: GDP) 8% / 27,3% / 64,7% (employees and self employed persons) (year 2002) Unemployment rate: 4.5 %

4. ZIP Kick-off meeting – Mag. Irma Priedl Regional Background: Lower Austria 2 GDP per capita: 21.616 (EIS 2003); 97.3 (year 2002, EUROSTAT) Main industrial sectors: food, machinery & metal, automotive, wood processing Number of companies: approx. 80.000 Percentage of SME's: 99,8% of firms 92,0% of employees Percentage of innovative SME's: approx. 50% according CIS 3, 6,5 % acc. own questionnaire survey 2003 with definition of “innovative SME”: R&D% > 6% and National and/or international leadership and Turnover of young products (less than 3 years) > 20%

5. ZIP Kick-off meeting – Mag. Irma Priedl Regional Background: Lower Austria 3 R&D and innovation R&D expenditure as percentage of GDP for –public sector: 0,96 e (2004) – own calculation –business enterprise sector: 1,00 e (43% of GDP in Austria, derived from AT data) –high education sector: not available –Austria: 2,35 in total (2004) R&D employment as percentage of the total work force: –in public sector: not available yet –in business enterprise sector: not available yet –in high education sector: not available yet Main research centres or research organisations: 2 (ARCS, IFA Tulln), Kplus-Zentren Number of universities and higher education institutes: 1 + 3 with several locations Main transfer centres and technical centres in innovation: 3 Technopole, 11 Regional Innovation Centres (RIZ) Number of science and technology parks: 3 (Wr Neustadt, Tulln und Krems) Comprehensive experience in European projects like –Regional Innovation Strategy RIS NÖ, Innovative Actions RIS+ NÖ, RIS++ NÖ –Trans-regional Innovation Project TRIP-PEP,“Vienna Region” - PAXIS region of excellence –Thematic Networks STRINNOP, ERIK, CLUES, PAXIS-START –Foresight Actions in the Regions, development of the FOR-RIS Blueprint –INTERREG IIIc NBG, Member of IQ-NET and of the IRE Steering Committee –New projects: IMPACTSCAN, ARISE (Strand 2), LORIS-PLUS, ZIP (Strand 1)

6. ZIP Kick-off meeting – Mag. Irma Priedl Innovation Strategy 1

7. ZIP Kick-off meeting – Mag. Irma Priedl Innovation Technology Cooperation Internationalization Entrepreneurship NÖ Innovations-Strategie (RIS und RIS+) Vorwettbewerbliche Forschung & Entwicklung Innovative Actions („RIS++“) Objective-2-program (industry & commerce) Pre-Seed Acceleration for technology-based firms IT pilot projects for B2B solutions Customer value orientation Science-business-government Collaboration Start-up, investment Support R&D Support Support on internationalization/ Cooperation Soft-measures to stimulate industry and commerce Top Innovation- System Structural-funds period 2007-2013 Development Concept NÖ Support Programmes

8. ZIP Kick-off meeting – Mag. Irma Priedl Our Organisation The mission statement (primary objective) of Slogan: “Innovation creates jobs” Creating a prosperous business framework with ecological sustainability Increasing the welfare in Lower Austria: number and quality of jobs, quality of environment Strengthening the competitiveness of regional companies The overall structure: legal status: public authority management structure and staff: about 50 employees Shareholder of several non-profit organisations (NOEBeg, … sources of income: annual contributions by provincial government, financing fund with annual contributions of financial support specific fund Website www.wirtschaftsfoerderung.atwww.wirtschaftsfoerderung.at

9. ZIP Kick-off meeting – Mag. Irma Priedl Our Organisation Core-competences Empowerment by policy to develop the regional innovation system and to coordinate its improvement process In-depth knowledge of companies activities and needs with respect to business development and innovation Day-to-day contact with NÖ firms Knowledge of legislative issues Knowledge of regional, national and European funding schemes Relationship to and experience with European Commission Main service portfolio Target groups: Regional firms, Intermediaries – NPO, multipliers (like banks etc.) Providing funding schemes for NÖ firms Fostering stimulation activities in combination with innovation services (financing of TIP´s activities, information material and events,...) Focus on foundation of new companies, Research and development, innovation, Opening up new markets, Collaboration, Local supply, equity and guarantees Financial support (of several actors of the regional innovation system like RIZ Holding, Eco-Plus, Technology and Innovation Partners TIP, NÖBEG)

10. ZIP Kick-off meeting – Mag. Irma Priedl ContactContact Any Questions ? NÖ Landesregierung Dep. Economy, Tourism and Technology 3109 St. Pölten +43 2742 9005 – 16123 Irma.priedl@noel.gv.at www.wirtschaftsfoerderung.at