Location with sustainable prospects – What's behind A³

In 2009, the city of Augsburg, the district of Augsburg and the district of Aichach-Friedberg jointly founded the company Regio Augsburg Wirtschaft GmbH. The aim: to create an efficient regional business development organisation for joint location marketing and regional management for the Augsburg economic region.

Whether as a driving force or coordinator, as a communicator or regional manager: many threads come together here – in particular around our business areas of location marketing, securing skilled labour and skilled labour marketing, innovation promotion and technology transfer as well as resource efficiency and sustainable management, now combined with climate protection to form the ‘Green Economy’. We also focus on the healthcare industry and strengthening regional identity.

We develop our projects and programmes together with the companies in the region. We are the networkers in the Augsburg economic region. We promote co-operation between companies and science. We inform, coordinate and communicate interesting facts in the region - and beyond. In this role, A³ is a valuable and indispensable instrument of economic promotion and regional development for the region. Our partners in the region attest to this time and again, not least because they are involved in our projects or the A³ Sponsors' Association.

Regio Augsburg Wirtschaft GmbH is 100 per cent publicly owned, specifically by the three shareholders, the city of Augsburg, the district of Augsburg and the district of Aichach-Friedberg. However, the company has a much broader financing structure.

Depending on the year, the shareholders provide 25-30 per cent, and thus the basis, of the funding for the business development company. Around 30 to 35 per cent of the funding comes from public subsidies from the EU, the federal government and the Free State of Bavaria. Project-related income and sponsorship (co-exhibitor fees, contributions from network partners, project partners, participant fees, advertising income, etc.) also account for around 30 to 35 per cent of funding. The Förderverein der Regio Augsburg Wirtschaft GmbH e.V. grants subsidies amounting to around six per cent of the financing.

With this relatively balanced financing basis, Regio Augsburg Wirtschaft GmbH will achieve a budget volume of around EUR 2.2 million in 2021. The above-mentioned financing shares change annually and roughly represent the proportion for 2021.

Regio Augsburg Wirtschaft GmbH is a member of various regional and supra-regional networks. In this way, it brings relevant expertise to the region and utilises its regional links for its communication and coordination tasks. It also manages ‘its own’ networks: the Aktivkreis Immobilien, the Holzbau im Wirtschaftsraum Augsburg network and the TEA network - the transfer network with universities and research institutions - are networks in which Regio Augsburg Wirtschaft GmbH is a managing director.

In addition, Regio Augsburg Wirtschaft GmbH has a large network of supporters, mainly companies that are committed to the region.

Regio Augsburg Wirtschaft GmbH has long since established itself as a permanent fixture in the economic region, taking on key tasks in location development, realising projects and initiating networks. However, its work not only has an impact in the region itself, but also beyond. Regio has already been honoured several times at national level for its commitment.

• In 2010, Regio was recognised by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs for its innovative regional management concept.
• In 2012, a jury of experts honoured the A³ Economic Calendar with the ‘Best of 2012’ award.
• In 2013, the Fachkräfte Initiative Wirtschaftsraum Augsburg was recognised as an innovative network by the Federal Ministry of Labour.
• Since 2013, Regio Augsburg Wirtschaft GmbH has been recognised several times by the Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft for its research activities.
• 2014: The Augsburg economic region is honoured as one of the TOP 5 innovation regions in Germany by the Federal Ministry of Economics.
• As part of the ‘My good example’ competition, the A³ Förderverein was entered in the Bertelsmann Foundation's map of commitment.