In Baden-Württemberg numerous co-operation projects and initiatives which cross company and institutional boundaries generate new market potential and competitive advantage.

• A further building block for the success of the car state of Baden- Württemberg is its well-developed co-operation and network structure. There are 16 cluster initiatives and sector networks throughout the state which actively drive forward innovation and concentrate synergies, thereby strengthening the competitive capability of the car sector. This is reinforced further by Baden- Württemberg‟s active involvement in two additional networks outside the state.

• The centre point of the state-wide network is in and around the conurbation of Stuttgart. In this region alone there are six active networks with more than 300 member companies and research institutes.

• As an example of the driving force of networks within the Baden- Württemberg automotive sector, we can point to the Baden- Württemberg Brennstoffzellen-Allianz (fuel cell alliance) in Stuttgart. This alliance forms a network around the topic of fuel cell technology and informs and initiates companies who manufacture vehicles as well as suppliers on this topic, so that they can manage their adaptation to the changing requirements of the market in good time.

• According to an analysis carried out by the European Cluster Observatory of the European Union, the Stuttgart region is the most significant “automotive cluster” in Europe by a large margin. The Karlsruhe region is in seventh place in the Top 10 automotive clusters.

• The Karlsruhe and Heilbronn regions also have a well- developed network and co-operation structure.