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Development Agency FDANews A strong 2022 for the Fribourg Development Agency

A strong 2022 for the Fribourg Development Agency

Despite the numerous uncertainties linked notably to the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis, the Fribourg Development Agency (FDA) presented a solid result for 2022. After two record years, no less than 41 projects were successfully completed (45 in 2021). Thereby, the companies involved announced the creation of approximately 600 new jobs and investments amounting to 140 million Swiss francs over the next five years. In addition, the activities of the FDA contributed to the strengthening of some 1900 existing jobs in the Canton of Fribourg. Although announced at the end of 2022, the new production site of Rolex in Bulle is not included in these figures.

Among the 41 projects supported, 25 concern company expansions, and 16 new settlements. Of these 16 settlements, 3 are Swiss and 13 come from abroad. For example, the Japanese company Epson has established itself in the Marly Innovation Center, while the Brazilian company Carob House settled in Fribourg. Among the expansions, notable projects include those of Immomig in Düdingen, or Wago Contact in Domdidier.

Although the FDA dedicated significant resources to the Rolex project in 2022, it is not included in the figures of the annual report. Indeed, it is in 2023 that it will truly materialize with the completion of land planning and construction procedures, as well as the establishment of temporary production and training sites. This project of exceptional scope and quality will contribute to the strengthening of the industrial fabric in Fribourg and to an acceleration of the development of cantonal skills in the areas of automation, robotics, and industry 4.0 in general.

During the press conference, Olivier Curty, State Councillor and Minister of Economic Affairs, declared: “Fribourg companies have shown an impressive resilience capacity over the past years and months. Neither the global pandemic nor the war in Europe have prevented investments or the creation of new jobs. The Canton of Fribourg continues its economic development with success and dynamism.”

For the Managing Director of the FDA, Jerry Krattiger, “The FDA had a good year despite a difficult global economic context. After the State Council defined bioeconomy and industry 4.0 as the main axes of the cantonal economic development strategy, the Canton of Fribourg has successfully continued its positioning in these areas.”

Rolex – a project of great scope and exceptional quality

Although the FDA dedicated significant resources to the Rolex project in 2022, it is not included in the figures of the annual report. Indeed, it is in 2023 that it will truly materialize with the completion of land planning and construction procedures, as well as the establishment of temporary production and training sites. The future Rolex production site in the Canton of Fribourg will ultimately create more than 2000 new jobs and generate investments of over one billion Swiss francs in the coming years. This project of exceptional scope and quality will contribute to the strengthening of the industrial fabric in Fribourg and to an acceleration of the development of cantonal skills in the areas of automation, robotics, and industry 4.0 in general.

For the Managing Director of the FDA, Jerry Krattiger, “The FDA had a good year despite a difficult global economic context. After the State Council defined bioeconomy and industry 4.0 as the main axes of the cantonal economic development strategy, the Canton of Fribourg has successfully continued its positioning in these areas.”

New Regional Policy with 15 new projects

As part of the 2020-2023 implementation program of the New Regional Policy (NRP), 15 projects were approved for the year 2022, with a total amount of support of 1.35 million Swiss francs. These projects are in the following areas: collaborative projects (9), mountain regions program (3), tourism (2), and new themes (1).

Additionally, work has begun on the 2024-2027 NRP implementation program. Industry and tourism remain the two priority themes, with new themes including local economy, sustainable development, and digitization being addressed as cross-cutting themes.

In addition to its usual activities supporting the creation, establishment, and development of companies, as well as its activities in the field of the NRP, FDA finalized last year the last COVID support package dedicated to companies.


Our host, the School of Engineering and Architecture of Fribourg (HEIA-FR)

HEIA-FR

The FDA annual press conference took place at HEIA-FR this year, in the presence of Paula Reichenberg, founder and CEO of Neur.on (see below), and Jean Hennebert, director of the Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Complex Systems (iCoSys) at HEIA. For 125 years, HEIA-FR has been a tertiary-level university education and research institution focused on practical training. HEIA-FR trains the engineers and architects of tomorrow as well as technicians in construction management. Its applied research activity is conducted through its institutes and centers of competence.
www.heia-fr.ch

Introduction of the start-up Neur.on at the press conference

Neur.on was born out of an Innosuisse project led by a team of engineers from HEIA. It is the first LegalTech start-up to tackle the specific challenges of translation within the legal, tax and banking sectors. Using cutting-edge AI-powered technologies, Neur.on offers an end-to-end solution for legal and financial experts looking to increase the efficiency of their translation processes while ensuring the required level of quality and confidentiality.
https://neur-on.ai


Media Release (PDF)
Activity Report 2022 (PDF, in French)


“Meeting of the six directors in 2022 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Economic Promotion, from left to right: Guy Macheret (1971-1985), Rudolf Zurkinden (1992-1999), Jean-Luc Mossier (2011-2018), Michel Pittet (1985-1991), Jerry Krattiger (since 2019), Thierry Mauron (1999-2011).” Photo: STEMUTZ.COM

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