02.11.2009 Stuttgart/Berlin – According to a recent study, the Baden-Württemberg region has the best economic prospects in Germany. As far as cities are concerned, Hamburg is in first place, followed by Berlin and Munich. These are some of the facts presented in the "map of the future" drawn up by the «Handelsblatt» and Prognos, a Swiss economics institute, and published on Monday. These large cities are all characterised by a good mixture of fields of endeavour that promise to do well in the future. The east, in contrast, is still lagging behind, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin wall, according to the study.

All 413 districts and cities in Germany were investigated in respect of their most important growth sectors. These include health care , information and communications technology, automotive construction, logistics, high-quality business services, research activities, mechanical engineering and instrumentation & control technology. They are concentrated in the large conurbations and along a powerful axis stretching from Frankfurt/Main, through Stuttgart and as far south as Lake Constance.

The study refers to Baden-Württemberg as Germany's foremost region for future clusters. Out of the 25 best German regions with the most promising prospects for the future, 11 are in Baden-Württemberg. Especially mechanical engineering and the health care industry are very strong here, where numerous small and medium-sized companies have found their niche in the market and have worked their way up to become world leaders in their field.

The large number of universities and colleges that are committed to training the next generation are the driving force behind this development, said the study. They include the practically oriented educational institutes in Biberach, Esslingen and Heilbronn, all of which focus on engineering and technology.

Source: dpa

Further information at
http://www.prognos.com