A few words from the director
Dear reader,
In 2020, 85 new foreign companies set up shop in Western Switzerland, supported by GGBa and the cantonal economic development agencies. They plan to create 772 jobs over the next three years, with the largest contributions coming from Life Sciences (227) and Information and Communication Technologies (184). This robust performance is a testament to the region’s resilience and its strong appeal as a safe haven for investment, even in times of crisis and uncertainty.
While the numbers of newly established companies and related jobs are important metrics, in our annual report this year we would also like to highlight some of the lesser-known work we do as part of our efforts to further Western Switzerland as a business location.
Promoting the region internationally through marketing and communication activities has been a part of our mission since the inception of GGBa back in 2010 – and became all the more strategic during the covid-19 pandemic. We found new, creative ways to reach and engage our prospects: from insightful webinars to a #StaySafeWithGGBa social media campaign. I invite you to peruse the Promotion section of this annual report for more.
Similarly, our business intelligence work became even more crucial in 2020. As the pandemic hindered traveling and curtailed live events, we relied heavily on our business intelligence tools in order to identify and approach the best companies at the right time. Please visit the Business Intelligence section of this website for additional details.
We hope you enjoy navigating our annual report.
About us
Founded in 2010, the Greater Geneva Bern area (GGBa) regroups the cantons of Bern, Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Geneva and Valais. GGBa’s mission is to attract foreign companies that will sustainably strengthen the priority expertise clusters of Western Switzerland and create high added-value jobs. More specifically, GGBa generates investment projects through its business development activities in foreign countries, and transmits these projects to its member cantons, which are in charge of implementing them.
