TECHNOLOGY START-UPS
[BIZ: Aachen, August 8] The most commonly represented branches are service providers (74), IT companies (66), life sciences (42) and innovative production technologies (29). The object of these centers, in addition to promoting start-ups, is to encourage technology transfer and regional economic development. The fact that the centers in the Aachen region have exceeded expectations in the last 16 years is shown by the figures. In total 1,673 businesses have been set-up in the center since 1990 and of these 596 already existed as businesses and 1,077 were start-ups. Of the start-ups, 312 are spin-offs from RWTH University and the FH Aachen; of which, again, 80% were in the direct vicinity of the universities at the Technology Center at the Europaplatz. In the three-year overview from 2004-2006 the increase in the numbers has been noted. This shows that the right sort of support can help a company through a difficult period. The numbers employed have also gone up by around 9% in this period, and this despite the occasionally difficult economic conditions in the last three years. In addition to the 537 companies currently in the centers, 53 have already moved out and set-up elsewhere in the region. There is a survival rate of around 80%. The centers in the region work closely together to meet the requirements of the economy. The increase in students and graduates in engineering and the natural sciences and the strong demand for specialists in these areas are obviously important for new tech-based business start-ups. For that reason the activities on acquisition and guidance for these businesses is being increased. The centers have initiated joint projects to improve their services on an ongoing basis.
In the Aachen region, 13 technology start-up and service centers have published an annual report. The report, in addition to the figures and facts from 2006, gives an overview of developments in the center since 1990. At the end of 2006 there were 537 companies in 13 centers in the region, of which 312 were start-ups and 225 in business. This time there are 4,822 employees in the companies in these centers. This means that businesses in the centers have created, on average, nine jobs per company through to the end of 2006.
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