Information and Communication Technology
Top software houses, strong telecommunication providers and high digital competence – Baden-Württemberg holds a leading position in the German information and communication technology.
Besides the automotive industry and the mechanical engineering, the information and communication technology is one of the greater industry of trade in Baden-Württemberg. With about 164,100 employees, it holds the third position of the state employment figures. The about 16,000 enterprises generate a turnover of 46 billion euros. The information and communication technology are counted among the highly innovative industries that make an above-average contribution to the macroeconomic growth. As a cross-sectional technology, it furthermore facilitates and initiates many product and process innovations.
Several global players of the IT industry are resident in Baden-Württemberg. For instance, SAP AG with its seat in Walldorf is the international market leader in the field of enterprise software, and in Böblingen, IBM maintains one of the biggest research and development centres outside of the USA. But a great number of small and medium-sized enterprises of the industry are also at home here. Often, these are internationally very successful as well and are counted among the so-called "hidden champions". A special emphasis in the state is on enterprise software.
Numerous Baden-Württemberg clusters and networks with actors from the different areas of the information and communication technology bundle up synergies, promote digitalization and create new market potentials for enterprises resident in the state. The national enterprise network Baden-Württemberg Connected (bw:con) and the regional cluster initiative Cyberforum with their more than 1,000 members have an important role here. Besides, the new interbranch state initiative "Smart Home & Living Baden-Württemberg" was founded.
This kind of cluster platforms is actively supported in Baden-Württemberg in order to intensify the dialog between economy and science and in order to strengthen the competition and export capabilities for information and communication technologies from the German southwest this way.
Exemplary industry institutions:
With more than 70 universities and more than 100 non-university research institutions, Baden-Württemberg belongs to the top science locations in Germany. Teaching and research are done at the highest stage. The energy and environmental technology benefits from that as well.
Research on information technologies is done in Baden-Württemberg both at universities and at different non-university institutions, for example at some Fraunhofer Institutes or the FZI Research Center for Information Technology in Karlsruhe, which supports in particular smaller and medium-sized enterprises in the development of new offers and in the adaptation of new technologies. A special feature of the industry structure in Baden-Württemberg is the close networking of science and business on the one hand and providers and customers on the other hand.
Strengthened by the high density of potential customers of information technologies in Baden-Württemberg, for example from the automotive and mechanical engineering industries, medical technology or the media industry, the research and enterprise landscape in the information technology is a stable basis for innovative developments in Baden-Württemberg.
For further information, refer to www.studieninfo-bw.de, www.bw-studyguide.de and www.bw-career.de.
Top software houses, a high level of innovation and digital expertise - Baden-Württemberg holds a leading position in the German ICT sector. Find more information about information and communications technology in Baden-Württemberg here.