Concept Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut

Best Practice

Topics

• Regional value added

Short description

Duration of the project: From 06 /1992 to 11 / 1993 The project Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut ought to support the regional and economic development within the region by setting innovative impulses and providing a platform for cooperations and new initiatives. The project comprised the design of the concept for the technology park. The realisation of this concept and the following operation of the technology park are successfully implemented by the region itself. The project activities and the Technology Park’s activities involve: - Feasibility Study for the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut - Preparatory work for the realisation - Invitation to tender for the design of the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut, funding applications (province of Upper Austria and ERP fond) - Construction of the Technology Park(08 / 2003 – 10 / 2004) - Foundation of the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut Ltd. and search for tenants - Public relation activities: Open Day, Technology Fair, etc. - Instigating regional projects - Organising events and participating in events - Coaching and supporting companies and fostering cooperations of companies - Cooperate with important regional and national partners on different issues (education programmes, regional development, etc.) - Networking - Setting innovative regional impulses, e.g. TAF (technological education for women) - Supervising the regional company network “tzs-net.at”: Information and project platform for enterprises in order to support them in networking activities and regional cooperations  Endogenous resources The project aims at strengthening the region’s potential. The technology park ought to support the population in benefiting from this potential. The population has to bethink on its strengths and learn to use them. And the first step is to raise the people’s awareness. The endogenous resources of the region Inneres Salzkammergut are its inhabitants and their know how.  What is the specific relevance of the results for the Alps? The region Inneres Salzkammergut like many other alpine destinations and regions was always affected by tourism. Therefore, a project focusing economic issues represents a significant change and chance for all inhabitants. Placing a stronger emphasis on the regional economic sector may help to overcome the future developments and risks in tourism (increase of short breaks, new lifestyles, climate change, etc.). Furthermore, the project provides for new employment in the region – this may reduce the brain drain. The population discovers new chances at home and, therefore, contributes itself to a better quality of living.

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Project executive

Project executives for the drafting of the concept Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut (Leader+ project): Development association Technology Park Gmunden Main responsibilities: - Concept, - Preparatory work for the realisation, - Information and shaping of opinions within the region The Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut Ltd. is responsible for the construction and the operation of the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut.

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Participants

The development association Technology Park Gmunden consists of 20 municipalities of the region Inneres Salzkammergut, 25 enterprises and 8 banks. The Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut Ltd. is composed of the following institutions and organisations: - 7 municipalities (Bad Ischl, Bad Goisern, Ebensee, St. Wolfgang, Gosau, Hallstatt, Obertraun) - 2 enterprises (Salinen AG, Hoffmann & Co Elektrokohle) - 5 banks - TMG Technology Marketing Ltd. Upper Austria The Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut ought to support the regional and economic development within the region by setting innovative impulses. The integration of municipalities as shareholders in the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut Ltd. represents an outstanding form of cooperation because they have to act as entrepreneurs rather than public institutions. A further innovative element of the municipalities’ cooperation is the municipal tax adjustment, i.e. they share in the municipal tax. A lot of other region consider to imitate this form of cooperation. Another participant is the advisory board of the Technology Park, which includes political representatives, entrepreneurs, experts and representatives of the Economic Chamber Upper Austria. It participates in all important decisions and intends to set impulses within the region. Mr. Hittmair was involved as expert in the drafting of the concept because of his experience with Technology Parks in Austria. An important partner in the process of searching the Technology Park’s location was a business consultant. Networking partners: - Technology Park Salzkammergut Gmunden established a management cooperation with the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut - Network of Technology Parks in Upper Austria - Alliance of Technology Parks Austria - Regional company network (tzs-net.at): Information and project platform for regional enterprises.  Key person DI Dr. Hittmair possesses great expertise within the scope of technology parks. He has already participated in the planning process of 4 other technology parks. Therefore, he was responsible for the concept and the preparatory work (information of the population, searching partners and financial backers) for the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut.

Objectives

- Construction of the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut - Setting innovative impulses within the region - Strengthening the region’s position as a location for innovation, production and services - Encourage young entrepreneurs and company foundations - Improvement of the regional economic structure - Promote and market the region itself, activities in the field of regional development - Create a broad level of acceptance and a positive regional image within the population, raising of awareness (people have to notice new chances) - Promoting training and education in the region

Activities

- Feasibility Study for the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut - Preparatory work: searching partners for the realisation, searching financial backers and negotiations with the municipalities on various issues (location, funding, etc.) - Tendering for the design of the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut, funding applications (province of Upper Austria and ERP fond) - Construction (08 / 2003 – 10 / 2004) - Foundation of the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut Ltd. - Searching for tenants - Public relation: Open Day, Technology Fair, etc. - Projects - Events - Coaching and supporting companies - Instigating cooperations of companies - Cooperate with important regional and national partners on different issues (education programmes, regional development, etc.) - networking - setting innovative impulses, e.g. TAF (technological education for women) - Supervising the regional company network “tzs-net.at”: Information and project platform for enterprises in order to support them in networking activities and regional cooperations

Process

1. Phase (06/02 – 11/03): drafting of the concept for the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut. (expert, DI Dr. Hittmair) 2. Phase (06/02 – 11/03) – Feasibility Study: Analysing the prerequisites, strengths and weaknesses, potentials and chances (conducted by an expert, DI Dr. Hittmair, and a business consultant, intensive cooperation with the municipalities) 3. Phase (06/02 – 11/03) – preparatory work for the realisation: searching partners, financial backers, an architect, etc. 4. Phase (08/03 – 10/04)– realisation: construction of the Technology Park and foundation of the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut Ltd., raising the regional population’s awareness 5. Phase (ab 09/04) – starting operations

Results

- Realisation of the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut - The Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut is regarded as a new regional centre. - Constantly new enterprises are joining the regional company network (tzs-net.at). - Degree of efficiency: two-thirds (17 tenants). - The municipalities have learned to cooperate on various issues: there are common projects and initiatives. They are shareholders of the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut Ltd. and, therefore, gain new experiences and discover new fields of activity. - The technology park encourages constantly new initiatives, e.g. tzs-net.at, technology fair, etc. Success factors: - Degree of efficiency - DI Dr. Hittmair as key person for the project: driving force, great expertise and know how. - The municipalities support the project and identify with the project. They managed to developed a new culture of cooperation within the region. - Bottom-up development: every technology park has to emphasize some fields of activity. To operate successfully, the technology park has to consider the regional potential and its endogenous resources, e.g. in the region Inneres Salzkammergut are a lot of computing companies.

Evaluation

The Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut participates in the initiative Q-Net: a quality audit including all technology parks in Upper Austria. Q-Net evaluates operations, processes and structures in the technology parks. A „secret“ survey is conducted by the market research institution Spectra every 2 years in all technology parks of Upper Austria. It analyses the satisfaction of employees and managers, their satisfaction with the technology park’s processes and structures, etc. The technology parks consider and discuss the results together with the Technology Marketing Ltd. TMG. This evaluation is a kind of best practice model which ought to help the technology parks to analyse their problems and to learn from each other.

Difficulties

 Shaping people’ s opinions, raising their awareness: in the beginning it was most important to convince the municipalities (acting as partners for the implementation and as financial backers) of technology park’s advantages and usefulness for the whole region. There were a lost of negotiations and information activities which also led to the establishment of a new cooperation climate between the municipalities.  Search for a location: the municipality had to offer the piece of land for the technology park free of charge. There were difficult discussions because every municipality wanted to have the technology park in its territory. In order to find the best location within the project region, the location was selected via a detailed criteria list (infrastructure, economic factors, etc.). In order to avoid difficulties a external business consultant was responsible for this analyses.

Budget

92.000 (Euro)

Financial backer

costs: € 92.000 susidy: € 73.000 (Leader+ project): the province of Upper Austria and the federal government provided about 79%, the balance was financed by the Development Association Technology Park Gmunden. The concept caused an investment of € 2,5 millions (foundation of the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut Ltd.): Total capital: € 2,5 millions Equity capital: € 1,21 millions (the municipalities account for about € 800.000) Province of Upper Austria: 25% subsidy for the construction ERP Fund: promoted loan

Source of information

Competition

Participant at the 2005 Future in the Alps competition

Homepage

http://www.tz-is.at

Comments

Impact on nature and environment

The project intends to create employment in the region to reduce the number of commuters. A regional centre influences the nature and environment by shortening the routes of transport and the people’s route to their working place.

Economic value added

 Number of new working places Actually there are 40 employees in the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut.  Project’s potential to reduce migration The first result concerning the reduction of migration is the awareness and the new interest of the population. They notice the increasing possibilities within the region and develop a new kind of self-confidence which enables them to set innovative impulses on their own.  Multiplier effects The Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut puts an emphasis on computing companies because it represents the regional potential. In future the Technology Park intends to foster projects within the scope of nature and wood. Moreover, some kind of cooperation was developed between the Technology Park and regional cultural initiatives, e.g. common events (vernissages, etc).  New markets The project caused new cross-community cooperations. Therefore, the neighbouring municipalities become new markets which may be entered with new ideas.

Socio-cultural value added

The Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut is already part of the regional society and culture. Its impacts become evident in the new cooperation climate and the feeling of „being strong together“. The Technology Park also aims at motivating and fostering especially women, e.g. TAF (technological education for women). All social stratums are integrated in the Technology Park’s activities: young people in order to reduce the regional brain drain, homosexuals, etc.

Innovative content

- The Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut itself because it was established in a region focusing tourism. - The cooperation of the Municipalities: a further innovation in this cooperation is the sharing in the municipal tax. - Discovering, bundling and strengthening the regional potentials: bottom-up development.

Good governance

Following activities ensure the information exchange and the transparency of decisions: - the official instruments of governance within the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut Ltd.: general meeting, meetings of the advisory board - Newsletter, homepage - Meetings with different groups (concerning projects) - Workshops - Events: Open day, technology fair The regional decision-makers are integrated in the Technology Park as shareholders. This enables the Technology Park to simplify decisions within the region. Furthermore, the credibility of the Technology Park and its initiatives increases. There exits a management cooperation with the Technology Park Salzkammergut Gmunden in order to use its experience and develop synergies. The participation in the information and communication network of the existing technology Parks of Upper Austria creates additional value for the Technology Park Inneres Salzkammergut.

PR impact

Classic public relations work: press releases, TV (regional TV station: Bad Ischl TV), newsletter etc. The Technology Park already possesses a huge press kit which demonstrates the positive image among the opinion leaders in the region. The increasing number of inquiries, the degree of efficiency and the demands for the Technology Park’s services prove that this image has already transferred to the population. The participation in technology fairs ought to increase the Technology Park’s publicity. Furthermore, a own technology fair was organised in September 2005.

Multiplier effect / networking

- The integration of DI. Dr. Hittmair as expert within the scope of technology parks demonstrates that the project implemented networking activities from the very first. - Member of the network Technology Parks Upper Austria: exchange of information and experience, common evaluation activities, best practice system. - Innovative communication equipment (for the technology parks to foster networking and communication exchange visibly. - Common projects and initiatives: e.g. education programmes, awards, etc. - Member of the Alliance Technology Parks Austria in order to establish synergies.

Transferability

The concept may cause additional value in other regions too. An important precondition is the bottom-up development: the endogenous potential of the region represents the basis for a broad level of acceptance among the region’s population. A further prerequisite is the professional planing (feasibility study) and implementation. Moreover, the regional decision-makers have to be integrated and be willing and able to cooperate.

Further information