Innovation out of Tradition

Saxony's great innovative strength was and is a major asset. This is confirmed by the EU "Regional Innovation Scoreboard": Saxony is a European "Strong Innovator".

No-Code Robotics (Source: Wandelbots GmbH, Dresden)

Infomodul

EU "Regional Innovation Scoreboard" - Saxony Scores With:

  • R&D expenditures

    high public and corporate spending on research and development
  • Innovative SMEs

    High expenditures on innovation in the SME sector
  • Process innovations

    above-average number of SMEs introducing process innovations
  • High-tech Workplaces

    Large number of employees in innovative SMEs
Graphic: Top 20 regions in the EU based on research intensity (source: EU Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2023)

Strong Focus on Research & Development

R&D expenditure in the public and corporate sectors is one of the most important drivers of growth in a knowledge-based economy. Research intensity (R&D expenditure as a proportion of a region's GDP) is therefore an important indicator of a region's future competitiveness and prosperity.

The region around Saxony's state capital of Dresden in particular has ranked among the top 5 regions in the EU for years. The Leipzig region is also consistently among the top 10.

Excellent Higher Education as the Basis for Saxony's Success

  • 94% of employed Saxons have at least a university entrance qualification or completed vocational training. (OECD average: 80 percent)
  • 42.6% share of students in STEM subjects among all first-year students - top position among all federal states
  • 25.1 percent (national average: 17 percent) Proportion of engineering graduates among all graduates - top value among all federal states.
  • Highest replacement rate for engineers - around 8.7 new engineering graduates for every 100 engineers subject to social insurance contributions in Saxony (national average: 5.5 %)
  • 15.8 percent of students are from foreign countries - the third-highest figure in the federal state comparison (average: 12.3 percent)

Contact

Lienig Dr., Uwe

Dr. Uwe Lienig

Industry, Innovation & Marketing

+49-351-2138 201

+49-351-2138 201