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Europe's No.1 business location
The Swiss economy is one of the strongest and
most competitive anywhere in the world and leading in Europe. Products and services
«Swiss Made» are the result of the hard work, motivation and
innovation of Switzerland’s working population. Excellent
business relations with other countries, free economic
competition, high value creation, specialized industries, stable
political conditions, a healthy public purse, low cost of
capital and very stable buying power guarantee strong, sustained
growth.
The Greater Zurich Area is Switzerland’s economic engine and a
central business location for Europe. Nearly half the Swiss
population lives in the Greater Zurich Area. The business region
in and around the world-famous financial center of Zürich
employs a workforce of some 1.5 million multilingual,
international workers in a good 150'000 companies. Per capita
GDP is around CHF 65'000.
 Facts
and Figures of Switzerland and the Greater Zurich Area
International corporate headquarters and
new key technologies
The Greater Zurich Area is not just a
world-renowned financial center but also a highly sought-after location for branches of
industry focused on knowledge and value creation. A number of
acclaimed international companies, including Cisco Systems, Dow,
Ecolab, Google, John Deere, Kraft Foods, and Kühne & Nagel, have
chosen the Greater Zurich Area as the place to bundle important
corporate functions for their European operations – e.g. holding
functions, intellectual property management, Finance and Supply
Chain Management, and R&D.
The Greater Zurich Area’s internationally renowned research and
education institutes and the close collaboration between
research and business have also turned it into a center for
companies in the life sciences (biotech, medtech,
pharmaceuticals), information and communication technologies (ICT),
and micro- and nanotechnology.
Life sciences
In recent years, the Greater Zurich Area has
become a fast-growing center for the life sciences. Famous
international companies like Amgen, Baxter, Ecolab, Nobel
Biocare, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Phonak, Synthes, Zimmer and many
more, along with numerous startups in biotechnology, medical
technology and the pharmaceuticals industry, have chosen to set
up a branch or even their international headquarters in the
Greater Zurich Area.
Life
Science Institutes and Organizations in Switzerland
Swiss
Biotech Association
Swiss
Medtech Association
Life
Science Zurich – Initiative of University Zürich and ETH Zürich
ICT
Information and communication technologies (ICT)
is Switzerland's third most important industry and one of the
top five employers in the country. International companies like
Google, Cisco Systems, IBM, Siemens, Philips, Hewlett-Packard,
T-Systems, Sony Overseas or EDS have settled in the Greater
Zurich Area and benefit from the excellent business and research
environment.
eFinder
– ICT Companies in Switzerland
ICT
Switzerland – Umbrella Organization of Swiss ICT Associations
WinLink
– ICT Cluster Zürich/Lake Constance
Micro- and nanotechnology
Innovative materials, sensors and optoelectronics
form the basis of Switzerland’s automotive components suppliers,
communications, packaging, mechanical engineering and tool
manufacturing industries. Thanks to Swiss engineering, companies
in the Greater Zurich Area are at the top of the global heap in
mechatronics, automation, the plastics industry and medical
technology. Universities and application-oriented research
institutes in the Greater Zurich Area collaborate closely with
industry in spin-offs and startups.
Hightech
Institutes and Organizations in Switzerland
MCCS
– Micro Center Central-Switzerland
Other cluster initiatives
Auto-Cluster
Energy-Cluster
Creative-Cluster
SWISSMEM
– Mechanical and Electrical
Engineering Industries-Cluster
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