Europe's important tech cities

The competence center for foreign direct investment of the “Financial Times”, fDi Intelligence, has again looked into the issue of Europe’s most important tech cities. In the latest edition of the Tech Cities of the Future rankings, Zurich claimed 13th place in Europe.

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The rankings examine, among other aspects, a city’s economic potential as well as its ecosystem for start-ups and innovation. According to the results of the latest version, Zurich boasts particularly high economic potential (ranked 8th in this category). The city likewise ranks 8th in terms of its innovation ecosystem, while it secured 9th position in relation to its attractiveness for start-ups. The city also ranks 9th for its foreign direct investment strategy.

Alongside Zurich, another Swiss city, namely Zug, claimed a top ranking. Zug performed well in the category of economic potential to take 4th place, which was in fact ahead of Zurich. However, it still has room for improvement in other categories as it strives to achieve a place in the top 20 for the overall rankings.

Against the background of the coronavirus pandemic, fDi Intelligence also examined the most important tech hubs in Europe in terms of their crisis resilience. The bottom line: collaboration, specifically between universities, authorities and the tech scene in particular, is one of the most important keys to success here.

In a press release, fDi Intelligence highlights Zurich as an example of success. The tech ecosystem in Zurich has long been focused on investments in research and development programs operated by universities. This approach paid off during the coronavirus pandemic in particular. For example, HeiQ, a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), brought out virus-resistant textiles on the market. In the meantime, Molecular Partners, a spin-off from the University of Zurich (UZH), is working on a COVID-19 drug. Both companies are headquartered in Schlieren in the Greater Zurich Area.