Once a year, the Conference of Cantonal Economic Directors VDK, in collaboration with the cantonal economic development offices and regional organizations, collects figures on the new settlements of foreign companies in Switzerland. As in previous years, most of the companies located in the cantons come from the information and communications technology (ICT) and life sciences sectors.
Federal and cantonal strategy 2024 – 2027: Strengthening the Swiss innovation ecosystems
In Switzerland, national investment promotion is designed as a joint task between the federal government and the cantons. These mandate the official Swiss organization for export promotion and investment promotion Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE) with national promotional activities. The S-GE representations abroad are part of the Swiss embassies or consulates general and are managed as “Swiss Business Hubs”. The Swiss Business Hubs market Switzerland as a leading innovation and technology location and identify and advise high-value-added companies with settlement potential. Investment promotion at the national level takes on central marketing, consulting and coordination tasks, which are carried out in addition to and in close coordination with the cantonal and regional settlement measures. S-GE sends concrete settlement projects to the regions and cantons, which then campaign for settlement in their canton in the federal competition.
With regard to the service level agreement 2024-2027, the federal government, the cantons, the regional organizations, and S-GE have further developed the focus on innovative and sustainable industries and technologies that was introduced in 2020-2023. The focus is on the quality and not the quantity of the companies. The further developed strategy is also intended to strengthen the marketing of the entire innovation ecosystems of the innovative and sustainable industries and technologies relevant to Switzerland. With their innovative expertise, successfully attracted companies will strengthen Switzerland’s Innovation ecosystem and the entire regional and local value chain as well as the SME landscape. This means that existing industries should be supplemented and thus create economic and social benefits for the entire region and for Switzerland.
