The State as a Developer Czechia Offers Investors More Than Just a Plot of Land
28 ǀ POSITIV 3/2026
DEVELOPMENT
| Text: MonikaŠevčíková, foto: Státníinvesčníarozvojováspolečost
Jedním z úkolů SIRS je proměňovat rozsáhlé nebo kom-
plikované lokality v místa připravená pro nové investi-
ce. Co je dnes při této přípravě nejtěžší?
Nejnáročnější je sladit ve stejném čase desítky vzá-
jemně závislých kroků a často protichůdných potřeb
– včetně klasického NIMBY. Pokud se opozdí jediný
kritický prvek, může se zpozdit celý projekt.
Výzvou je také připravovat lokalitu pro investora, je-
hož přesné potřeby ještě neznáme. Území musí být
dostatečně univerzální a kapacitně robustní i pro tech-
nologicky náročné projekty, ale zároveň nesmíme
předčasně investovat do řešení, které budoucí investor
nevyužije. Proto pracujeme s milníkovým systémem:
v každé fázi znovu vyhodnocujeme rizika, náklady
a další směr projektu a teprve potom uvolňujeme další
prostředky.
Stejně důležitá je pro nás společenská přijatelnost.
Strategická investice nemůže být úspěšná v prostředí,
které ji odmítá. S obcemi a obyvateli proto od počát-
ku jednáme otevřeně a projekt řešíme v kontextu celé
spádové oblasti.
Rather than simply selling land, the state oers investors a partner capable of preparing an enre
site and bringing together central government, local authories and infrastructure into a single
viable project. Zbyněk Pokorný, CEO of the State Investment and Development Company (SIRS),
discusses what the company is bringing to this year’s EXPO REAL trade fair in Munich, which
locaons it can oer and why Czechia does not want to compete on labour costs alone.
What exactly are you bringing to EXPO REAL? Are
these available sites and projects? What makes them
competitive on a European scale?
We are not coming to Munich with just a map
of available plots, but with a portfolio of vetted
locations and, above all, an offer of partnership
with a state developer. Our role is to take on part
of the preparation risk, coordinate public institutions
and local authorities, and bring sites to a stage where
an investor can implement their project more quickly
and with a significantly higher degree of certainty.
The main investment opportunity currently open
is the Lazy Strategic Business Park in the Karviná
region. It is a brownfield site of a former deep coal
mine and therefore connects the region’s industrial
tradition with its genuine transformation. Thanks to its
excellent transport links and utility capacity, it is aimed
primarily at technologically demanding high–tech
and mid–tech manufacturing. We expect production
there could potentially begin after 2030.
As proof that this model works, we will present
Cheb, where we succeeded in attracting Daimler
Truck, with production expected to begin by 2030.
The combination of the location, coordinated
preparation by the state and the city, and the ability
to adapt the site to the investor’s requirements
demonstrates what can make the Czech offer
competitive at European level.
Our competitive advantage therefore lies not only
in the site itself. It comes from the combination
of scale, available infrastructure, a skilled workforce,
links to research and education, a sustainable
concept, and a single partner capable of keeping
the entire preparation process coordinated,
from the initial assessment through to handing the site
over to the investor.
An investor comes to you – what can you actually
offer them today?
We offer investors a comprehensive service, not
merely contact details for a landowner. This ranges
from identifying and assessing a suitable site,
through consolidating property ownership, to securing
all the necessary permits and infrastructure.
In cooperation with CzechInvest, we also connect
investors with the supplier, research and education
ecosystem. We do not offer ways around the rules
or automatic approval of a project. We do, however,
work proactively. Addressing spatial planning, EIA
and project preparation at an early stage alone can
shorten the timetable by two to three years.
I have already mentioned the specific locations
above, but the Dolní Lutyně area is also worth
highlighting. It has completed pre–project preparation
and a feasibility study, a project company has been
established, and the legal arrangements concerning
land ownership have been significantly strengthened.
However, it would not be accurate to describe
The State as a Developer
Czechia Oers Investors More Than
Just a Plot of Land