ICT Industry

• Europe's largest ICT market in terms of revenue volume (20% of the EU market)
• fourth largest ICT market worldwide (5.5% of the global market)
• turnover of EUR 130 billion
• employs almost 850,000 people (second biggest employer after the machinery & equipment industry)
• domestic broadband coverage is close to 97%, while over 70% of Germans are online
• over 20% of all German patent applications at the European Patent Office were ICT-related in 2006, ranking Germany first in Europe and third in the world (behind USA and Japan)

* All values apply to 2009 unless otherwise noted.

MARKET - Spirits are rising in Germany's high-tech sector after the recovery from the worldwide economic crisis. According to Germany's Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (BITKOM), expectations continued to improve during the second quarter of 2010. The most pronounced market trend is the convergence of the IT and software industry with other more traditional industries - such as the automotive and biotechnology industries.

However, it's not just the big companies who possess superior technological know-how: SMEs, which constitute 98 percent of all German companies - have acquired highly specialized expertise in high-tech product development, and are opening up many niche markets catering to both traditional and new industries alike.  BITKOM expects ICT industry turnover to reach EUR 140 billion Euros in 2010 up from 130 billion Euros in 2009.

PERSONNEL - Germany has a highly skilled work force and its famous universities offer some of the best IT-degree programs Europe has to offer.

R&D - Germany has an excellent R&D landscape with a high level of integration and networking while also being home to Europe's largest ICT research organization - the Fraunhofer Society. All of the major ICT manufacturers operate R&D laboratories in Germany. The highly skilled German workforce and the close ties between industry and universities complement the numerous R&D activities taking place in Germany.

INVESTMENT INCENTIVES R&D FOCUS - Foreign investors can count on many forms of financial support, with special emphasis placed on promoting R&D activities in Germany. The German government will make more than EUR 15 billion in project grants available through its High-Tech Strategy through 2011; with more than EUR 1.5 billion reserved for R&D projects in the ICT industry. Additional and long-term R&D funding exists via initiatives such as the "ICT 2020 - Research for Innovation" program.

PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE - Germany is known for its extensive and highly modern logistics infrastructure that integrates state-of-the-art transportation networks with telematics, IT, and telecommunications systems. The government's wide-reaching "broadband strategy," supporting the nationwide expansion of high speed broadband access with transmission rates of at least 50MB/sec in urban and rural areas alike, underpins the commitment to technological infrastructure.

STABLE INVESTMENT ENVIRONMENT - Social, economic, and political stability provide a solid base for corporate projects while judiciary and civil services are highly efficient. In addition, contractual agreements are secure and intellectual property is highly protected in Germany.

• Dell
• eBay
• Oracle