Mission and Strategy

Vision – “The World’s Green Tech Valley” 
Styrian companies already are international technology and market leaders in the areas of energy and environmental engineering. In order to strengthen and develop this position, ECO WORLD STYRIA supports the companies and the location Styria with basic services and projects with strategic levers along the growth drivers innovation, know-how, and new markets.

Mission
ECO is the supporting organisation of the economic-political initiative in the areas of energy and environmental engineering of the province of Styria. With 156 members as of 2010/07/16, ECO WORLD STYRIA is aiming at “E-C-O 20-20-20” in the strength fields of biomass, solar energy, mass flow and water/wastewater:

- E “Employment”: increase in the number of employees in Styrian environmental engineering companies to 20,000 until 2015

- C “Competence”: roughly doubling of the number of Styrian technology leaders to 20 until 2015

- O “On top”: increase in the international presentations in the media and at trade fairs to around 20 per year until 2015

History
Between 1998 and 2004, the forerunner project Eco & Co was implemented by TRIGON Development Consulting. At the beginning of 2005, the successful network was upgraded, “Umwelttechnik-Netzwerkbetriebs GmbH” was founded, and the “ECO WORLD STYRIA” brand established. In 2009, the new Strategy 2010+ was developed. At the beginning of 2010, ECO was elected the “World’s Best Greentech Cluster” by the US investor’s network Cleantech Group.

Ownership and financing 
Umwelttechnik-Netzwerkbetriebs GmbH is owned by SFG Steirische Wirtschaftsförderungs GmbH (or Innofinanz, resp.), the province of Styria (Specialist Department 19D), the City of Graz as well as Binder+Co. AG, e² group umweltengineering GmbH, FIBAG Forschungszentrum für integrals Bauwesen AG and KWB – Kraft und Wärme aus Biomasse GmbH. Beside subsidies and shareholder’s contributions of the owners, financing takes place via contributions of the members as well as revenue from projects and services.