Focus on branches
There is a lot going on with regards to business, so we are justified in claiming: Regensburg is at the very peak of the Danube.
-
Automotive technology
Taking the settling of BMW in the city in the eighties and the distinctive level of development competence of Continental AG in Regensburg as a starting point, automotive technology has become a major focal point encompassing suppliers, developers and universities.
Thanks to the leading market position of the companies located in Regensburg and their consistent investment activities Regensburg now counts among the technological strongholds in the German car industry.
-
Biotechnology
The first cluster was started in Regensburg in the year 1996 in the field of biotechnology. Regensburg had been an unknown quantity in this field until then, but thanks to the expertise of the University Clinics, the University and the University of Applied Sciences a development was triggered that is today unmatched anywhere in the Federal Republic.
After just 15 years Regensburg has become the undisputed number 2 in biotechnology after Munich in Bavaria and the construction of the BioPark III demonstrates quite clearly its development potential.
BioPark Regensburg GmbH, a subsidiary of the City of Regensburg, is responsible for cluster management in the field of biotechnology. It is in charge of Bioregio Regensburg and successfully operates the BioPark Regensburg.
After just 15 years Regensburg has become the undisputed number 2 in biotechnology after Munich in Bavaria and the construction of the BioPark III demonstrates quite clearly its development potential.
BioPark Regensburg GmbH, a subsidiary of the City of Regensburg, is responsible for cluster management in the field of biotechnology. It is in charge of Bioregio Regensburg and successfully operates the BioPark Regensburg.
-
Electrical engineering
With Infineon, Osram Opto Semiconductor, Siemens A&D, Toshiba and many other innovative companies, Regensburg is nailing its colours to the mast in the field of electrical engineering. Starting with the former Siemens sites in the western and eastern parts of the city, the electrical engineering cluster has expanded successfully in Regensburg in recent years. Whether you are talking about components for mobile phones, chip cards, laptops or state-of-the-art installation technologies, it is all "Made in Regensburg“.
-
Energy
has a long tradition in Regensburg and has become a major focal point of the technology location. In this field Regensburg is home to several internationally renowned companies such as Schneider Electric, which employs approximately 850 people, Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen with approx. 1,800 employees and SGB Starkstrom Gerätebau with approx. 700 employees. In addition Germany’s largest regional energy provider, E.ON Bayern, has its headquarters in Regensburg.
-
IT- Security
In recent years Regensburg has developed to become a centre and driving force of the IT region of the Upper Palatine. Regensburg ranks close behind Munich and Nuremburg as the third major IT location in Bavaria. There are about 20,000 people employed in the approximately 1000 companies located in the economic region. In other words, the IT branch accounts for every ninth job in Regensburg. Telekom, Siemens, Infineon, Toshiba and OSRAM Opto Semiconductors are just a few of the globally active concerns to be mentioned in this respect.
The renowned IT chairs at the University and Technical University of Regensburg contribute enormously to the success of the location.
Regensburg’s universities have gained an excellent reputation with six IT degree courses at the University and Technical University as well as the Institut für Bankinformatik and the Software Engineering Competence Centre that was founded in 2004. Around 1000 graduates from IT-relevant courses complete their studies in Regensburg every year. International congresses such as the ECIS (European Conference on Information Systems) ensure that the importance of the City of Regensburg is established far beyond the borders of Germany.
A major factor in the development of the location is active support for founders of IT companies. The IT- Speicher is therefore the nucleus of the emerging IT location; a technology centre and incubator for innovative IT companies subsidized by the Free State of Bavaria and the City of Regensburg. The largest IT incubator in Bavaria offers IT start ups modern offices of various sizes as well as a complete office infrastructure. The IT- Speicher supports its founders by means of marketing measures, help with public relations, consultations and network integration. 40 companies are currently located in the IT-Speicher, 30 of which are high-tech start ups with their own innovative products.
The founder centre is operated by the IT Inkubator Ostbayern GmbH, a municipal enterprise belonging to the City of Regensburg that was established in 2001 and whose goal is the development and marketing of Regensburg as an IT location.
The IT- Speicher also serves the settlement of foreign companies as a “first touchdown base”. These are provided with a fully equipped office and receive individual support for a year.
In cooperation with the Regensburg Stadtmarketingverein the IT-Speicher has now created its own portal to handle the many diverse projects and institutions as well as for companies from the IT branch in Regensburg. People visiting the site at www.regensburg.it receive an extensive overview of information technology and IT companies in Regensburg from the site’s database.
For the near future the focus will be on cooperation competence as a major field of activity. That is why the IT Security Cluster Initiative Ostbayern was established to promote both regional strengths in the field of IT security and the attractiveness of the location. The goal of the initiative is to present Eastern Bavaria as an innovative IT location with a focus on IT security.
-
Mechanical engineering
Regensburg's strengths in this field are demonstrated primarily in special machine engineering, as well as automation and production engineering. In addition to KRONES, the world market leader for brewery technology, situated in the greater Regensburg area, you can find a series of highly-innovative machine engineering firms in the city that all share a common goal: a high level of innovation and market leadership in their sector.
No matter which company you name: STS Stahltechnik, a container manufacturer, MDS in the field of production engineering, or Minikomp Bogner, manufacturer of production systems for automation – they all feel at home in Regensburg from where they are successfully conquering the world market.
-
Sensor technology
Sensors are the sensory organs of machines and their importance in the innovation process cannot be stressed highly enough. For Regensburg sensor technology is a key cross-sector technology. The competitive edge that many companies in Regensburg have depends on their ability in using sensors to stay a step ahead of their competitors.
Networking the activities of R&D and business in the field of sensor technology was the driving force behind the creation of the Regensburg sensor technology cluster, whose creation has been advanced by the Economic Development Department since 2003 within the framework of a federal research project. The outcome of the networking process is the Strategic Partnership for Sensor Technologies, which acts as the platform for the Bavarian Cluster for Sensor Technologies and is currently the largest and most successful network for sensor technologies in Germany.
