Standortagentur Tirol GmbH

Standortagentur Tirol GmbH is a state-owned agency of the Austrian province of Tyrol, tasked with strengthening Tyrol as a business and science location in order to safeguard existing jobs and create new ones. It operates as a service and networking hub for companies, research institutions, municipalities and regions, helping them initiate and implement future-oriented projects. Its core themes include sustainable corporate growth, location development and location marketing, with cross-cutting priorities in digitalisation, circular economy and health. The agency traces its origins to the Tiroler Zukunftsstiftung (Tyrolean Future Foundation), a public-law fund established by the Tyrolean provincial law of 8 October 1997. Since 2011 it has operated under the name Standortagentur Tirol, and in 2019 the fund was converted by federal law into Standortagentur Tirol GmbH, continuing all agreements and business relationships unchanged. It is wholly owned by Lebensraum Tirol 4.0 GmbH, whose sole shareholder is the Province of Tyrol, and is part of the Lebensraum Tirol Gruppe alongside Lebensraum Tirol Holding, Tirol Werbung and Agrarmarketing Tirol. The agency provides a broad range of services: innovation and technology support, business settlement and expansion, growth and capital access, sustainability and digitalisation, and cluster management. It manages clusters in Tyrol's strength fields such as renewable energy, information technology, life sciences, mechatronics and wellness, and advises companies and research institutions on accessing regional, national and European research, technology and innovation programmes. It also acts as an interface between business, science, administration and politics, opening doors to regional, national and European partners. Internationally, Standortagentur Tirol markets Tyrol as a business and science location, organising appearances in cooperation with Tyrolean companies, universities, universities of applied sciences, cluster partners and Tirol Werbung. Its annual funding volume handled through the agency is approximately EUR 7 million, of which over EUR 3 million is direct funding. The agency is led by managing director Dr. Marcus Hofer, with MMag. Ingo Erricher as authorised signatory (Prokurist).

The institution now known as Standortagentur Tirol GmbH was originally established as the Tiroler Zukunftsstiftung (Tyrolean Future Foundation), a public-law fund created by the Tyrolean provincial law of 8 October 1997 on the establishment of the Tyrolean Future Foundation (LGBl. No. 88/1997). In its 2000 audit, the provincial audit office (Landeskontrollamt, today Landesrechnungshof) criticised the lengthy decision-making process for funding due to the large number of bodies (Zukunftsrat, Beirat, Monitoringgruppe, Konditionen- und Wirtschaftlichkeitsgutachter), the lack of demarcation from other provincial funding instruments (such as the economic promotion departments and the economic policy coordination office in the Office of the Tyrolean Provincial Government, the Tyrolean Economic Promotion Fund, the Tyrolean Corporate Investment Company (TUB), Tech Tirol Technology Transfer and Location Marketing, or individual organisations of the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce), and ambiguities in specific funding decisions. In 2001, an amendment to the law fundamentally revised the tasks, strategic guidelines and funding guidelines, the bearing of personnel and material costs, the bodies and their duties, the appointment and duties of the management, and supervision (LGBl. No. 59/2001). In the 2003 follow-up audit, the provincial audit office criticised that, contrary to original plans, the "profit distributions from holdings and liability premiums accruing to the Province of Tyrol" (Section 2 lit. a of the cited law in the 1997 version; for example from TIWAG, Hypo Tirol, etc.) had not been fully passed on to the Future Foundation. Therefore, the law was amended again in 2005, and the fund's endowment was restricted to "the funds respectively provided for this purpose in the provincial budget" (Section 2 lit. a of the cited law), so that the province could dispose more freely of its funds (LGBl. No. 93/2005). Since 2011 the institution has operated under the name Standortagentur Tirol, with the Standortagentur Tirol Management GmbH, existing since 2012, serving as the operative office. In 2014, economic and location promotion was reorganised once more towards simpler funding procedures. On 2 March 2019, the public-law fund Tiroler Zukunftsstiftung was converted by federal law gazette I No. 88/2018, changing its legal form while preserving its identity, into Standortagentur Tirol GmbH. The company thus entered by operation of law into the legal position of the Tiroler Zukunftsstiftung and continues all agreements and business relationships unchanged. Standortagentur Tirol GmbH is 100% owned by Lebensraum Tirol 4.0 GmbH, whose sole shareholder is the Province of Tyrol. The agency's mandate is to strengthen Tyrol as a business and science location in order to safeguard existing jobs and create new ones. It focuses on sustainable corporate growth, location development and location marketing, and provides services to companies, research institutions, municipalities and regions. It manages clusters in Tyrol's strength fields such as renewable energy, information technology, life sciences, mechatronics and wellness, and advises on regional, national and European research, technology and innovation programmes. It also supports domestic and foreign companies and research institutions wishing to settle or found in Tyrol, and conducts international location marketing for Tyrol in cooperation with Tyrolean companies, universities, universities of applied sciences, cluster partners and Tirol Werbung.

• 2019

  On 2 March 2019, Tiroler Zukunftsstiftung converted by federal law into Standortagentur Tirol GmbH, preserving identity.

• 2014

  Economic and location promotion reorganised towards simpler funding procedures.

• 2012

  Standortagentur Tirol Management GmbH established as the operative office.

• 2011

  Institution begins operating under the name Standortagentur Tirol.

• 2005

  Further amendment restricts the fund's endowment to funds provided in the provincial budget (LGBl. No. 93/2005).

• 2003

  Follow-up audit criticises that profit distributions and liability premiums were not fully passed on to the foundation.

• 2001

  Amendment to the law fundamentally revises tasks, guidelines, bodies and supervision (LGBl. No. 59/2001).

• 2000

  Provincial audit office criticises lengthy funding decision processes and lack of demarcation from other funding instruments.

• 1997

  Tiroler Zukunftsstiftung established as a public-law fund by Tyrolean provincial law of 8 October 1997 (LGBl. No. 88/1997).

State-owned one-stop agency for business and science location development in Tyrol, acting as an interface between business, science, administration and politics.

• Business settlement and expansion consulting

  Support for domestic and foreign companies and research institutions wishing to settle, found or expand in Tyrol.

• Cluster management

  Manages clusters in Tyrol's strength fields: renewable energy, information technology, life sciences, mechatronics and wellness.

• Innovation and technology support

  Advice and support for research, technology, innovation and cooperation projects.

• Location marketing

  International marketing of Tyrol as a business and science location.

• Funding and financing advice

  Advice on regional, national and EU research, technology and innovation programmes.

1. 1Standortagentur Tirol | Wachstum durch Innovationstandort-tirol.at
2. 2Wir über uns | Standortagentur Tirolstandort-tirol.at
3. 3Jobs | Standortagentur Tirolstandort-tirol.at
4. 4Unser Team | Standortagentur Tirolstandort-tirol.at
5. 5Standortagentur Tirol GmbH – Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Standortagentur Tirol – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org