📋 Tender Overview
For 30 years, Wirtschafts-Standort Vorarlberg GmbH (WISTO) has been a key player in promoting innovation and economic dynamism in Vorarlberg. What once began as a company location agency has developed over the years into a comprehensive location agency. Today, WISTO supports companies with a wide range of services and makes a significant contribution to strengthening the innovative strength and attractiveness of Vorarlberg as a business location. "As a modern location agency, WISTO makes a significant contribution to technological maturity, networking in innovation topics and the recruitment of technical specialists in the region," emphasize Governor Markus Wallner, State Councilor Marco Tittler and WISTO Managing Director Jimmy Heinzl in the press foyer.
WISTO was founded in July 1994 as a pure business relocation agency on the occasion of the country's accession to the EU. Its original aim was to attract new companies to Vorarlberg, but over the years the portfolio of tasks was gradually expanded. In addition to the classic business service for companies in the areas of innovation and research, WISTO increasingly focused on networking, building structures, securing skilled workers and location marketing.
Future-oriented services for technological innovation
With the integration of the Vorarlberg Technology Transfer Center (VTTZ) in 1998, WISTO specifically strengthened cooperation between companies, research institutions and scientific partners. The offer was subsequently supplemented by the introduction of funding advice, which supports Vorarlberg companies in accessing funding, as well as technology and patent research, which supports companies in evaluating and protecting their innovations. In this way, WISTO creates optimal conditions not only to successfully implement innovations, but also to protect them. Further milestones followed with the launch of the CHANCENLAND VORARLBERG skilled worker initiative in 2012 and the commission to develop the Vorarlberg brand in 2017. Since 2023, the ESG check has supplemented WISTO's offer and enables Vorarlberg SMEs to evaluate the status of their sustainability requirements.
"With its innovation services, WISTO makes a significant contribution to ensuring that companies invest sustainably in research and development and generate innovations in order to remain competitive on international markets," emphasises Governor Wallner: "Over the past ten years, more than 5,000 consultations have been held on funding opportunities at EU, federal and state level, which has enabled more than 70 million euros in funding to be mobilised for innovation projects in Vorarlberg. This is not only impressive, but also clear evidence of the region's exceptional innovative strength." Since 2014, the state of Vorarlberg has provided a total of 12.5 million euros for the expansion and operation of WISTO (including the Vorarlberg brand).
Inter-company structures, technology and knowledge transfer
Rapid technological development, shorter technology cycles and the increasing complexity of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, are having a lasting impact on the economy. "Vorarlberg is one of the strongest economic, most innovative and most export-oriented regions in Europe. Especially in challenging times, it is crucial to consolidate and further expand this strength," emphasizes State Councilor Tittler. WISTO plays a central role in setting up inter-company research structures, such as the Digital Factory Vorarlberg, a joint venture with the AIT, which WISTO played a key role in developing. WISTO also works closely with over 30 supra-regional research institutions. These partnerships ensure a continuous flow of knowledge into the region, which strengthens local innovations. Together with the dynamically growing FHV - Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences, which has developed exceptionally well in recent years, these structures are essential for the region's competitiveness.
"This is of great importance in economic policy terms, since Vorarlberg, as a small region, cannot develop all technologies independently locally," explains Tittler. Numerous consortium research projects and networks have emerged from these collaborations. These include, for example, the Circular Economy Vorarlberg (CEV) network, a platform for knowledge transfer and networking in the field of circular economy, and the Digital Innovation Hub West (DIH West), which supports SMEs in digitization.
Strengthening the startup ecosystem
The modernity of an economic structure and a business location is also reflected in how well it succeeds in producing young and innovative companies. For years, WISTO has made an important contribution to promoting technology-oriented startups with its start-up support. Together with partners from Tyrol, Salzburg and Carinthia, it works in a start-up network financed by the federal government, grants funding and offers advice to provide the best possible support to founders. In recent years, this has resulted in impressive start-ups such as SANlight, Limifyze, Sodex Innovations, stAPPtronics and Neulicht Lighting Solutions - all examples of the innovative power of the location. In order to further professionalize this development, Vorarlberg is the first federal state to succeed in bundling all start-up support initiatives in a joint company, Startup Vorarlberg GmbH. This central contact point for founders in Vorarlberg is jointly supported by WISTO, the FHV - University of Applied Sciences, the Vorarlberg Chamber of Commerce and the PRISMA Group and brings together all relevant start-up services under one roof.
