Welcome to Viborg Municipality The Business-Friendly Municipality

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1 Welcome to Viborg Municipality The Business-Friendly Municipality Viborg is proud of its history and is looking forward to an equally exciting future! Living in an increasingly globalised world, companies and investors choose locations where world class competencies are readily available. Therefore I am pleased that you are considering Viborg Municipality for your operations. On behalf of Viborg City Council I would like to welcome you to Viborg Municipality. Be assured that we will do our best to accommodate your wishes. In Viborg Municipality we are very focused on business development - we have for example drawn up the Municipality s Common Enterprise Policy in co-operation with our business organisations, our further education institutions and our tourism sector. The aim of the Common Enterprise Policy is twofold: 1) To be a municipality which, through dialogue with our businesses, will ensure that our services can and will be developed in line with the needs of businesses. 2) To implement actions that will help our businesses prepare for future challenges. We have three distinct strengths in Viborg Municipality. We are internationally oriented, our businesses are diverse and creative and our education and knowledge environments are very dynamic. We believe that sustainability and further development of the co-operation between the Municipality, businesses, education and research institutions are fundamental when it comes to growth and development. This co-operation has for example lead to the fact, that Viborg Municipality is known to have an excellent entrepreneur environment and in 2010 we were elected Entrepreneur City of the Year 2010 in Denmark. When it comes to business development, our main partner is Viborg Business Development Center. Viborg Business Development Center s objective is to ensure both a high quality as well as an individualised service to businesses located in Viborg Municipality. I hope that you will find the enclosed material interesting and please do not hesitate to contact me in order to set up a meeting to discuss the possibilities you have for relocating to or setting up in Viborg Municipality in the future. We can for example help you with the organisation of fact finding tours to Viborg Municipality, site and premises location, finding skilled employees and establishing contacts, as well as give you access to an extensive network of specialist consultants. Welcome to Viborg Municipality Yours sincerely Søren Pape Poulsen Mayor, Viborg Municipality Contact details: Telephone: sni@viborg.dk Website:

2 Location and Facts Viborg Municipality is located in the heart of Jutland in the Central Denmark Region. It only takes an hour to get to Aarhus or Aalborg. Viborg s airport, Karup Airport ( which is located approximately 26 km from Viborg city centre, has more than ten daily flights to and from Copenhagen a flight that only takes 45 minutes. From Copenhagen, central parts of Europe can be reached within only two hours. Citizens (9th largest municipality in Denmark measured by population) 93,400 Area (2nd largest municipality in Denmark measured by size) 1,422 km2 Businesses 5,400 Further education institutions 21 People employed by companies and organisations 54,000 Public day care institutions 74 Municipal run primary and secondary schools 26 International schools 1 Public residential homes 16 Regional hospital 1 Hammerfest Murmansk Aalborg Reykjavik ICELAND Kiruna Nor wegian Oulu SWEDEN FINLAND Trondheim Viborg Sundsvall NORWAY Nor th Atlantic Ocean Gul f of B othnia Tampere Helsink i Gavle Bergen Oslo Århus St. Petersburg RUSSIA Tallinn Stockholm ESTONIA Moscow Aberdeen North Belfast LAT VIA DENMARK Copenhagen Dublin LUX. POLAND Leipzig Frankfurt Vienna AUSTR IA Bern SWITZE RLA ND Geneva Ljubljana Lyon Milan SLOVE NIA Venice Zagreb Valencia Sevilla Constanta Adriatic Sofia Skopje Ionian Palermo Istanbul MACE DONIA Ankara Tirana A LBA NIA TUR KEY GR EEC E Malaga Bl ack Varna BULGARIA MONTE NEGRO Naples Cagliari Mediterranean Bucharest Belgrade Podgorica Rome Tyr rhenian Odessa RO MANIA SER BIA ITALY Barcelona Chisinau Cluj-Napoca Pecs Sarajevo Florence SPAIN MOLD OVA Budapest HUNGARY B OSNIA Marseille A NDOR RA Madrid Bratislava C R OATIA Bilbao Lisbon UKRAINE Lviv SLOVAKIA Munich FRANCE ORTUGAL Kiev Krakow Prague Strasbourg Nantes Porto Minsk Warsaw C ZE CH RE PUBLIC Paris Bay of Biscay Vilnius BELARUS Poznan Berlin Bonn Brussels Le Havre Bordeaux Hannover GERMANY B ELGIUM English Channel Odense LITHUANIA Gdansk Rostock Hamburg NET H. Amsterdam London København Baltic Tver Liverpool U. K. Cardiff 3 hours 2 hours 1 hour Riga Goteborg Edinburgh Newcastle IR ELAND Patrai Aegean Athens

3 Business Environment Being located in Viborg Municipality gives you access to internationally recognised business clusters business incubators a highly skilled workforce international education and research institutions social networks including the Business Development Center s business club and Viborg International Community Something that particularly characterises Viborg Municipality is that there is great emphasis on the Municipality, the business community, the further education and research institutions and the tourism sector working together to ensure continued growth and development and to create synergy. The main business sectors in Viborg Municipality are the public sector, manufacturing/production and business services. The majority of the businesses are small and medium sized businesses. However, some of the world s leading clean technology companies are also located in Viborg Municipality: - Grundfos the world s largest pump manufacturer - Genan the world s largest tyre recycling company - Hedeselskabet a commercial company, which supports the development of new research and knowledge and disseminates knowledge about nature and the environment Protecting the environment is also important to Viborg Municipality as an organisation. Over the years it has become one of Denmark s leading municipalities when it comes to international municipal capacity building projects (also known as municipal system export projects) within waste management, water supply, waste water treatment and energy (see Cluster: Environment and Energy ).

4 Cluster: Agriculture The Viborg region is the centre of the Danish agricultural industry with more than 1,300 businesses in the industry. Historically agriculture has played an important role in the development of the Viborg region. In Viborg Municipality we have a large range of suppliers of agricultural equipment as well as a number of science centres. Research Centre Foulum, the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University Located just outside Viborg City, you find Research Centre Foulum which is the largest unit under the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (DJF), Aarhus University. The mission of The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences is to maintain, develop and disseminate knowledge about sustainable agriculture and the production of high quality food. The majority of the Faculty s research in animal husbandry and plant production is carried out at Research Centre Foulum. Furthermore, Research Centre Foulum carries out a large part of the Faculty s interdisciplinary research, i.e. ecology, animal husbandry production and welfare. Research Centre Foulum is located in close proximity to Agro Business Park. The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences employs more than 1000 and about 450 are researchers. Agro Business Park Agro Business Park is a science park specialised in entrepreneurship and innovation within agriculture, foodstuffs, bioenergy and environmental technology. The Science Park participates in a considerable number of projects with the aim to support entrepreneurship and innovation within its industry areas. This applies to companies and start-ups that can use the park as an incubator. Yearly the Agro Business Park holds an innovation competition to stimulate the development of new products and the establishment of new companies within the areas of agriculture, food and the environment. The park is also part of the Enterprise Europe Network - the largest business support network in Europe supported by the EU. INBIOM - Innovation Network for Biomass INBIO is Denmark s innovation centre for the production, conversion and utilisation of biomass. Its aim is to facilitate sustainable and value-oriented technological innovation concerning bioenergy and environmental technology. INBIO s objective is to help businesses and research communities come together to create new solutions in energy and environment through the use of manure and biomass. INBIO is located at Agro Business Park. VIBORG Food Industry Network VIBORG Food Industry Network is a well established network for the local foodstuff sector, related producers and vendors. The aim of the network is to: 1) provide the participants with new knowledge and innovation within the area of quality foodstuffs, 2) organise activities that contribute to the common growth, development and profile of the local quality foodstuff sector and 3) increase accessibility and visibility of the local foodstuff sector through joint events, marketing material, etc. Future Food Innovation Future Food Innovation is an initiative established by the Central Denmark Region to ensure that companies in the food sector become more innovative and increase their growth and profits. The initiative includes measures to help companies and knowledge-based organisations develop new ideas and concepts, employ PhD researchers in businesses, find new technologies and access international markets. It also includes a support programme where companies can apply for match funding to develop innovative products and services. The project consortium, which includes the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus School of Business - Aarhus University, AgroTech, Technological Institute and VIFU, is co-ordinated by Agro Business Park.

5 Cluster: Creative Industries A large range of small innovative companies within the creative sector architecture, product design, graphical design and communication, PR and advertising are located in Viborg Municipality. Furthermore, a number of companies within the areas of new media, film and video production and scientific animation have also arisen over the last years. This growth is connected to the many projects launched by The Animation Workshop. Due to the growth in businesses within the area of animation and new media, Viborg Municipality will launch a business incubation centre / growth hub for animation and new media in The Animation Workshop Center for Animation The Animation Workshop Center for Animation is Denmark s leading animation institution with a strong network of international companies, educations and artists. It is an independent unit under VIA University College divided into seven departments: Bachelor of Arts Department which offer two degrees: Character Animator and Computer Graphic Artist; Professional Training; Open Workshop; The Drawing Academy; Centre for Education and Animation; The Incubation House (see below) and Animation Hub (see below). The Animation Workshop also acts as link between interested parties and the animation industry as well as initiates and implements a large number of activities and development projects within its fields of expertise. MiJAV - The Incubation House To strengthen entrepreneurship within film, tv, games and content development for the electronic medias, The Animation Workshop established the incubation house Midtjysk Animationsvæksthus (MiJAV) in Here, newly started and established businesses have access to work spaces, business advice and seminars and will be part of a creative environment. MiJAV has been established to support and further develop the environment linked to the Animation Workshop and to attract new businesses within the animation industry to Viborg Municipality. Animation Hub The Animation Hub is a national innovation network where companies and knowledge institutions can share experiences, develop new ideas and initiate new projects within the field of animation as a communication tool within science, medicine, news production and interaction (e.g. games, learning and device operation/manual handling). The network s target groups are: 1) private companies looking for assistance to study, test or in other ways challenge the use of animation and 2) the animation industry in Denmark. animationhub.wordpress.com Media College Denmark Media College Denmark educates photographers, web integrators and film and TV production technicians (camera crew, lighting and sound technicians and editing technicians). It also offers courses and supplementary training to the media industry it was for example the first institution to develop and offer courses in non-linear editing. Media College Denmark is also one of the leading actors when it comes to colour control, digital image processing and digital media production. medieskolerne.dk Kultuhverv Innovation within Culture and Business Kultuhverv is a three year project focusing on innovation in businesses and the development of cultural institutions that Viborg Municipality participates in together with the Danish Ministry of Culture, Horsens Municipality, Silkeborg Municipality and Randers Municipality. One of the project s main objectives is to link creative people/groups and businesses to create business innovation. This will also create new areas of work for creative people. Another objective is to develop the participating cultural institutions by pairing them with experienced business managers to learn from their experience and competences, i.e. a kind of mentoring.

6 Cluster: Defence, Security and Aerospace The Viborg region hosts the largest Danish air force base - Airbase Karup (Flyvestation Karup). The specialised needs of the Danish Air Force have stimulated the establishment of a cluster of companies within defence, security and aerospace in the region. The presence of CAOC (Combined Air and Space Operations Center) also gives the cluster access to a significant international military environment. Airbase Karup Airbase Karup is one of the largest military installations in Denmark and the largest airbase in Northern Europe. The installation has more than 1,000 buildings and a total area of 2,900 hectares. It comprises not only an airfield but is also the main base for the Danish Tactical Air Command and Army Operational Command. Some of the Danish Air Force s most modern and technological advanced units are present in Karup. CenSec CenSec s is an industrial network of approximately 80 small and medium-sized Danish companies within the defence, space and security industry. Its aim is to collect knowledge about defence, space and security and it cooperates with a number of knowledge institutions, organisations and authorities to bring together and disseminate useful new knowledge to its company members. CenSec also acts as a link between the military and civilian businesses across disciplines and industries and focuses on creating networks and clusters to develop products, services and solutions across the defence, space and security industry. Its members are marketed internationally through seminars, export promotions, etc. International Airport With more than 10 daily flights to Copenhagen, Karup Airport is an ideal connection airport when travelling from Jutland to Copenhagen on route to destinations in the rest of Europe, Asia and the US. The flight, which only takes 45 minutes, makes it easy to commute to and from Jutland and to attend meetings in Copenhagen or on Zeeland.

7 Cluster: Environment and Energy Energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainability and environmental protection are high on the agenda in Viborg Municipality. The local businesses and organisations as well as the Municipality itself are very focused on clean technologies and ensuring that energy efficiency and environmental protection have been taken into consideration in relation to their activities, initiatives and products. Viborg Municipality is located in the Central Denmark Region (comprises a total of 19 municipalities) and one of the Region s main focus areas is the environment and energy which means that it supports several environment and energy related projects and initiatives in the Region. Viborg Municipality System Export / Capacity Building Viborg Municipality has since the late 1990s been involved in several environment and energy capacity building projects that focus on waste water treatment, waste management, water supply and energy in countries such as the Baltic States, Poland, Thailand, Turkey, China and Bangladesh. This involvement is also known as system export in that the Municipality exports its many years of knowledge and expertise about the sound operation of utility companies that both are energy efficient and focused on protecting the environment. These projects are delivered in co-operation with Revas and Energi Viborg A/S. Revas Revas is Viborg Municipality s waste management company and here the circular (recycling) economy system and dialogue with citizens and businesses have been in focus for many years. Revas is responsible for the collection and handling of all the waste generated by the Municipality s 5,400 businesses and 40,000 private households all types of waste are handled. This means that Revas handles a total of 145,000 tonnes of waste annually 64% of this is reused, 30% is incinerated and only 6% is deposited. Since 1989, Revas has successfully reduced the amount of deposited waste from 70,000 to 10,000 tonnes. In co-operation with Energi Viborg A/S, almost 4,000 MWh heat is extracted from the landfill every year enough to heat about 200 households. Revas operates 7 recycling stations, 200 residential glass and paper recycling stations and a chemical waste treatment plant. As part of its dialogue with citizens, Revas has developed and implemented the school project, Co2ntainer, where school children in an interactive way learn how to reduce the amount of waste and increase recycling and reuse and thus learn how to improve and protect the environment. >>

8 Energi Viborg A/S Energi Viborg A/S (holding company) is Viborg Municipality s utilities company which is responsible for the supply of electricity, heating and water as well as waste water treatment and street lighting - delivered by Energi Viborg A/S six subsidiaries. In 2009 Energi Viborg added an extension to its existing administration building which complies with the Danish energy class 1 requirements meaning that its energy consumption is 50% less than that of an ordinary house. To comply with an agreement made with the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy, Energi Viborg and its subsidiaries are to reduce Viborg Municipality s entire annual energy consumption by 4,200 MWh or 4% per year. Energi Viborg operates an energy centre which objective is to help its customers save energy and thus protect the environment. The water supply company has committed itself to reducing its energy consumption by 25% by The main waste water treatment plant operates a biogas plant which produces electricity this electricity production corresponds to approximately 42% of the waste water treatment plant s annual electricity consumption. Future initiatives to reduce energy consumption and protect the environment, that Energi Viborg A/S currently is looking at are: Establishment of a waste incineration plant, the erection of wind turbines and geothermal energy extraction. Foulum Within the energy and environment cluster, you find a smaller energy and environment related cluster in Foulum where Agro Business Park, INBIO and Research Centre Foulum (part of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University) are located in close proximity to each other. The common denominator for the three organisations is their focus on bioenergy, clean technologies and agriculture (see: Cluster: Agriculture ). The House of Natural Sciences The House of Natural Sciences objective is to increase school children and young people s interest in natural sciences by contributing to a more interesting approach to science teaching in primary and secondary schools as well as in colleges. The major focus is on used natural sciences and there is therefore great emphasis on combining teaching with how natural sciences are used in reality, i.e. in businesses. Energy and the environment are integral parts of natural sciences and there is therefore great focus on how energy and environmental solutions and technology are used in the building. The House of Natural Sciences is used as demonstration building for the development of a visualisation tool showing how it is possible both to create a good indoor climate and to reduce a modern building s energy consumption by using the most up to date energy technology and SCADA system. Local Businesses Several of the businesses located in Viborg Municipality have energy and the environment as one of if not their main business focus. Just to name a few, in Viborg Municipality, you will find the head office of the world s largest pump manufacturer, Grundfos; the head office of the largest recycler of scrap tyres, Genan, as well as Mita-Teknik which is a leading producer of control systems for wind turbines, and Hedelselskabet which supports the development of new research and knowledge and disseminates knowledge about nature and the environment. >>

9 Cluster: Public Services In addition to our municipal welfare and service institutions, a number of regional and national service and administrative units are also located in Viborg Municipality. Viborg Municipality Viborg Municipality has more than 93,000 citizens who are serviced by 7,100 employees (converted into full time positions) and the Municipality has an annual budget of more than 500 million EUR (4 billion DKK). In Denmark, more or less all citizen-focused services except hospitals are the responsibility of the municipalities which means that areas such as the social sector, primary and lower secondary education, child care, employment, utilities, etc. fall within Viborg Municipality s areas of responsibility. Units attached to The Danish Army and The Royal Danish Air Force Army Operational Command is the Danish Army s top authority directly under the Defence Command. Combined Air Operations Centre 1 in Finderup one of NATO s four European aerial surveillance centres where it is possible for the employees to control and monitor the airspace over Scandinavia, Great Britain, Iceland and the North Atlantic. The centre has approx. 200 employees. Tactical Air Command The Royal Danish Air Force s top authority. Air Control Wing with headquarter in Karup that monitors and controls the Danish airspace. The unit has 490 employees. Helicopter Wing Karup is the operative unit for all the Danish Air Force s helicopters. The unit is located in Karup and has 615 employees. The Danish Air Force s School of Leadership and Operational Support (Flyvevåbnets Førings- og Operationsstøtteskole) often referred to as the portal to the Air Force. The school manages all educational tasks within the Air Force ranging from the basic education for conscripts to leadership training, and has 200 employees. Combat Support Wing supports the Royal Danish Air Force s missions with personnel on the ground including communication, supply and protection and has 450 employees Expeditionary Air Staff is a tactical planning unit that contributes with knowledge about cooperation between ground forces and air force. The unit employs approximately The Central Denmark Region The Central Denmark region manages a complex set of tasks within the areas of certain national health service; hospitals; psychiatry; social institutions; specialised remedial education; public transport; regional development and special education. The Regional Hospital in Viborg is the largest unit in Viborg with 11 specialised departments and 3,000 employees in total. The Region s political and administrative headquarter is located in Viborg and employs 450 people. >>

10 The High Court of Western Denmark The High Court of Western Denmark primarily functions as a court of appeal for the City Courts in Jutland and the Land Registration Court but also as a regular court in certain cases. The High Court of Western Denmark is located in Viborg and employs 105 people. Central and West Jutland Police The local police station in Viborg serves the citizens in Viborg Municipality. The Provincial Archives in Northern Jutland The Provincial Archives are research institutions under the Ministry of Culture and one of their tasks is to receive and collect historically valuable records and make them available to the public. The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has a department in Viborg. Interreg IVB s Management Secretariat is located in Viborg. The Interreg programme s main objective is to make the North Region a better place for the citizens to settle, work and invest in. Enterprise Europe Network at Agro Business Park Enterprise Europe Network provides information and advice to SMEs in affairs relating to internationalisation and the EU Internal Market. In addition, support is made available to SMEs for their international technology projects, ranging from the identification of technology needs to signing co-operation agreements. Agro Business Park is part of Enterprise European Network. See cluster: Agriculture The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (DJF), Aarhus University has its headquarter in Tjele. The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences has seven departments, one bachelor degree programme, four master degree programmes and a PhD school. The faculty has approx members of staff, approx. 450 of which are scientific staff and 550 technical/admin staff. See cluster: Agriculture agrsci.au.dk/en/ VIA University College VIA University College offer a wide range of international educational programmes which qualify students for jobs both in the private and the public sector. VIA is centred around 8 campuses in Denmark and its multi-professionalism creates the frame for the educational activities, the continuing education and the development of qualifications. VIA has cooperation-agreements with educational institutions from almost all over the world and focus is on student mobility, on cooperation between teachers and development and research projects. VIA offers 35 professional bachelor degree programmes within the areas of health, social education, technology, trade, design, business and animation and a range of continuing education programmes. VIA s 18 Research Centres ensure that the focus is always on new and relevant knowledge. Mercantec Mercantec is the local provider of education and supplementary and further training in the following areas: Auto technique; Construction; Hotel and restaurant; LeaderLab; House of Technology; Transport and logistics, Trade and service. Mercantec offers individually planned course plans for employees and companies in cooperation with a network of other educational institutions such as Aalborg University and the Business Academy. >>

11 Business Services Viborg Business Development Center s primary objective is to promote business development opportunities in the Viborg region based on the needs, requests and composition of the Center s members, entrepreneurs and companies in the area. Viborg Business Development Center acts as a catalyst for or co-ordinator of projects to support companies, both established and start-ups. The Center offers a highly professional service to both local and recently relocated businesses. The mission of Viborg Business Development Center is to work proactively and visionary for the development of business activities in Viborg Municipality. Viborg Business Development Center gives businesses access to advice, business services, innovation, knowledge, inspiration and networks. In short, everything required for development and change. As a member of the Business Development Center, you will benefit from: Influence on local business policy and the Business Development Center s various activities Free consultant support Locating qualified employees Access to a large network of specialist consultants and educational and research institutions Participation in professional networks and business seminars/conferences Participation in projects and initiatives focussing on business development Access to the Business Club - a professional and social network Viborg Business Development Center offers the following services: Local fact finding tours Assistance with setting up a business including site location, planning and building permissions, electronic access to available commercial land in the region, information about clusters, etc. Access to Viborg International Community - a social network for international employees and accompanying family members Viborg Business Development Center Skottenborg Viborg, Denmark Tel: Fax: ver@ver.dk Website:

12 An International Municipality The fact that the world is becoming smaller and more and more complex and international cannot be ignored. People in other countries are only an , a phone call or a flight away, a large proportion of the world s population has family, friends or business partners in other countries and people do not think twice about moving to another country to work or study. When it comes to being international, Viborg Municipality wishes to be one of the most international municipalities in Denmark with regards to its citizens, businesses, research and educational institutions, organisations and sports clubs as well as the organisation Viborg Municipality. This international focus comes in many forms and shapes, and therefore Viborg City Council has adopted Viborg Municipality s first international policy which formalises its international focus. International Website On the international website, english, you can find information about doing business in, moving to, living in, working in, studying in and visiting Viborg Municipality. Here, you can also learn more about Viborg Municipality in general and about its international activities. Viborg International School Viborg International School is not one single entity but a network of the international courses and programmes offered by the education and research institutions located in Viborg Municipality. The ethos behind Viborg International School is to offer children and young people a coherent international schooling from primary education to high school level. Viborg Private Realskole s International Department (primary and lower level) opened in August The International Department s curriculum is based on both Cambridge CIE and the national Danish curriculum and all teaching is done in English. / International Educations and Students Several of the further education and research institutions located in Viborg Municipality offer a range of courses in English and are thus part of the Viborg International School network. As a result of this, each year they welcome many international students who either come to the area to take one semester as part of their education in their own country or to take their entire education here. To enhance the student environment in Viborg Municipality, a new student house will open in the summer 2011 in one of the old buildings at the previous barracks area in Viborg. Viborg International Community Viborg International Community is a network for international citizens in Viborg Municipality international employees, students and their accompanying family members as well as Danes. The purpose of the network is to create a platform where international citizens meet each other and where international citizens and Danes meet. The network meets on the first Tuesday of the month. Further, the network also organises a number of both social and informative events every year, e.g. tax seminar, Viborg Football World Cup and guided tours. The network is Facebook-based. International Sports Events A major international football party will take place in Viborg in June 2011 as it, together with Aarhus, Aalborg and Herning, hosts the UEFA European Under 21 s Championship. Viborg City is home to one of the world s best women s handball teams who have won both the Champions League and the EHF European Cup more than once. Beside Viborg HK s women s handball team, their men s handball team and Bjerringbro-Silkeborg s men s handball team also play in the Danish premier league and have several international players. / / www. bjerringbro-silkeborg.dk