|
|
|
|
FDA Newsletter
March 2021
|
|
Editorial
Dear Madam, Dear Sir,
The Fribourg Development Agency (FDA) is strongly committed to the implementation of the Fribourg Economic Recovery Plan. R&D vouchers, innovation coaching, COVID service pack, all these measures aim at stimulating the competitiveness and innovation of Fribourg companies in the current difficult context.
The construction of the new buildings of the blueFACTORY innovation quarter is also part of this logic of recovery and restoration of confidence. Today, 340 people work on the blueFACTORY site. This number will double in the next two years and by 2040, some 2500 people will be working there. Fribourg has here an exceptional springboard for developing a real culture of innovation.
An example of this culture of innovation is the “Perspectives” event organized by the Smart Living Lab (SLL) last September at the initiative of the FDA. This event allowed 130 people from the Fribourg construction industry to project themselves into the living of the future through 5 innovative and collaborative projects involving the SLL and several companies. All in all, a relatively simple event to demonstrate in a concrete way how technology transfer between an academic institute and industry works.
Other innovative projects supported by the FDA are also underway, such as the launch of the “Construction and Renovation Center for Buildings”, or the collaborative projects wood-iD and Sponge City.
To bear fruit, innovation takes time and requires a critical mass on a given site. Let’s hope that the people of Fribourg will give themselves the means for an ambitious innovation policy that will create jobs through this 25 million investment that is subject to a popular referendum.
I hope you enjoy reading our newsletter and send you my best regards.
Jerry Krattiger
Managing Director
|
|
|
Kromatix Ltd settles in the canton of Fribourg
The company Kromatix Ltd, which develops and industrializes colored photovoltaic glass panels, is setting up its new production plant in Romont. The technology developed with EPFL (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne) was further enhanced by Kromatix. Numerous projects, in Switzerland and in several countries around the world, have already been successfully completed and have been awarded various technological and architectural prizes. In the medium term, Kromatix will create 50 new jobs on the site owned by the State of Fribourg.
> www.promfr.ch
|
|
|
velocorner.ch is now in Murten
The start-up velocorner.ch, which currently employs 7 people, has settled in the town of Murten. Jerry Krattiger, Managing Director of the Fribourg Development Agency: “With velocorner.ch, a particularly promising start-up has chosen the location of the Canton of Fribourg. This company contributes to sustainable mobility in our everyday lives; moreover, the last year has shown how strong the growth of the market for bicycles is. We are pleased to support this start-up on its way to a successful future.”
> www.promfr.ch
|
|
|
Tiffin Metal Products chooses Fribourg as its first Location outside of the U.S.
Tiffin Metal Products has chosen Schmitten, in the Canton of Fribourg, as its first corporate location outside of the United States. This international expansion is aimed at broadening distribution channels, accelerating growth, and servicing customers worldwide. Founded in 1903, Ohio-based Tiffin Metal Products develops and manufactures custom metal solutions for a wide range of industries. Tiffin is well known for its SST™ Gravity Chutes used, for example, in Amazon, Fedex, and UPS logistics centers.
> www.ggba-switzerland.ch
|
|
|
The Bill Gates Climate-Change Fund invests in Bloom Biorenewables
The Fribourg-based start-up Bloom Biorenewables has successfully wound up its latest financing campaign, raising a total of 3.9 million euros. In doing so, Bloom becomes the first European company in which Breakthrough Energy Ventures-Europe has chosen to invest. The Fund, launched by Bill Gates, aims at boosting clean-energy innovation in Europe.
Bloom Biorenewables, based at the Marly Innovation Center, is active in the development of a technology to produce plant molecules that can be used as petroleum substitutes in products such as cosmetics and flavors.
> www.startupticker.ch
|
|
|
Swiss Precision Lighting wins International Prize
The Fribourg start-up company Swiss Precision Lighting has won first prize in the Energy Saving Lighting category of the international LIT Lighting Design Awards 2020 competition. Swiss Precision Lighting offers a new type of lighting solution that can be used, for instance, to illuminate sports fields much more precisely than with the LED systems available to date. It directs all of the generated light onto the sports field, thus minimizing light pollution. In addition, electric-power consumption is massively reduced.
> https://splighting.ch
|
|
|
von Bergen SA moves its Headquarters to the Canton of Fribourg and invests in Hydrogen
After more than 125 years of existence, the company von Bergen SA moved its headquarters in early 2021 from the Canton of Neuchâtel to Domdidier in the Canton of Fribourg, the site from which most of its activities are conducted. Its logistics center has already been located there since 2009. The transport company is also investing in two hydrogen-powered trucks so as to reduce CO2 emissions. Thanks to its activities in the field of energy-efficient mobility, the Company has been awarded the Swiss energy prize, the Watt d’Or 2021, by the Federal Office of Energy.
> www.vonbergensa.ch
|
|
Sébastien Jaquier, CEO, JNJ automation Ltd
JNJ automation manufactures machines and robots used, in particular, in the production of cheese. The Fribourg-based company is a world leader in its field and exports 60% of its production abroad. It has just recently completed yet another stage of expansion. Learn why JNJ is investing in Fribourg as its location:
> Video (0:41 min.)
|
|
|
Discover the Cities of Fribourg
Spring is here, and with it the ideal time to discover new places and cities. Fribourg’s tourism association – Tourism Fribourg Region – has designed several walking tours to discover cities such as Fribourg, Bulle, Estavayer-le-Lac, Gruyères or Morat/Murten, combining them with a visit, for instance, to a museum.
> www.fribourgregion.ch
|
|
Swiss Cyber Security Days 2021
The Swiss Cyber Security Days, an event which has always taken place in Fribourg, were held virtually this year due to Covid-19. As an institutional partner, the Fribourg Development Agency also made an appearance. In his contribution “Fribourg and Industry 4.0: an Opportunity for the Security Industry”, Jerry Krattiger acquainted the participants with several Fribourg players in the security industry. You can once again view his presentation here:
> Fribourg and the industry 4.0: an opportunity for the security industry (video: 15:27 min.)
|
|
|
Fribourg adopts a new agri-food strategy
Since the beginning of this year, the canton of Fribourg has implemented a development strategy for the agri-food sector, one which aims at a national leadership role for the Canton. The frame conditions are particularly favorable, given the currently heavy investment in the AgriCo-Campus in St-Aubin, and the fact that the activities of the Federal center of excellence for research, Agroscope, are being centralized in Posieux with close ties to the Grangeneuve Agricultural Institute. The strategy will coordinate the various existing initiatives, thereby creating synergies.
> www.promfr.ch (only in French and German)
|
|
New Factsheet for the Fribourg Food Sector
The Canton of Fribourg prides itself on an impressive density of national and international companies in the food sector, as well as excellent competence centers. Our new Factsheet provides you with an overview. It can be downloaded here:
> www.promfr.ch (PDF)
|
|
|
|
Great Interest for Fribourg’s Recovery Plan
Over 170 Fribourg companies have already benefited from the Fribourg Economic Recovery Plan. In its 11 March 2021 issue, the newspaper La Liberté provided a presentation of some of the beneficiary companies and their projects. You can find all the information on the individual measures on our Website under the heading “Other Cantonal Measures” (Autres mesures cantonales):
> www.promfr.ch/covid-19 (only in French and German)
|
|
|
The Salon de l’entreprise delves into the Theme of “Resilience”
This year’s edition of the Salon de l’entreprise took place completely digitally. The central theme of the various live presentations was “Resilience”. The FDA’s Managing Director Jerry Krattiger spoke about the support measures for companies within the context of the Covid crisis. You can find videos of all the presentations and panel discussions (solely in French) by clicking on the following:
> www.salon-de-lentreprise.ch
|
|
Support for Hardship Cases
Since mid-February, new measures introduced to target hardship cases are being implemented in the Canton of Fribourg. A distinction has been made between the ordinary procedure for companies that have had to close for at least 40 days, and the facilitated procedure for companies that have suffered a loss of turnover of at least 40%. Details on both of these two procedures can be found here:
> www.promfr.ch/covid-19 (in French or German)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
