The State as a Developer Czechia Offers Investors More Than Just a Plot of Land
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DEVELOPMENT
it as a fully prepared development site. It is a strategic
reserve prepared in such a way that, once a suitable
investor is found, the physical preparation of the site
can begin quickly.
What type of investors are you actively looking for
in Munich?
We are targeting strategic end investors who will
bring not only capital, but also technology, research,
skilled jobs and a new supplier ecosystem. We are not
looking for more land–intensive logistics operations or
manufacturing based on cheap labour.
We are interested in the industries of the future:
advanced and clean mobility, semiconductors
and electronics, battery and energy systems, robotics,
renewable energy and medical technologies. More
remote locations may also offer suitable opportunities
for the defence industry.
What can the Czech Republic offer investors that
other Central European countries cannot, and where,
by contrast, do we fall short?
The Czech Republic lies at the heart of the European
market and has an exceptionally strong industrial
tradition, well–established supply chains, high–quality
technical education and the ability to integrate
new projects quickly into its existing manufacturing
and research base. We do not want to compete solely
on labour costs or the level of investment incentives.
Our ambition is to offer a combination of quality,
location, know–how and a stable long–term business
environment. And SIRS, as a state developer, represents
a new competitive advantage for Czechia.
At the same time, it is fair to acknowledge that
neighbouring countries have had a head start
in the systematic preparation of large investment
zones, and we need to catch up in terms of site
readiness and the speed of permitting. These
are precisely the barriers we are now working
systematically to remove. If we succeed in completing
this transformation, Czechia will compete not only
on its favourable geographical location, but also on
the speed and predictability of project delivery.
One of SIRS’s tasks is to transform large or complex
sites into locations ready for new investment. What
is the most difficult part of this process today?
The greatest challenge is coordinating dozens
of interdependent steps and often conflicting needs
at the same time – including the classic NIMBY
phenomenon. If even a single critical element
is delayed, the entire project can be held up.
Another challenge is preparing a site for an investor
whose exact requirements we do not yet know.
The site must be sufficiently versatile and have enough
capacity to accommodate technologically demanding
projects, while at the same time we must avoid
investing prematurely in solutions that a future investor
may not use. That is why we work with a milestone–
based system: at each stage, we reassess the risks,
costs and future direction of the project, and only then
release further funding.
Social acceptance is equally important to us. A strategic
investment cannot succeed in an environment
that rejects it. We therefore engage openly
with municipalities and local residents from the outset
and consider each project in the context of the entire
surrounding area.
We do, however, work proacvely.
Addressing spaal planning, EIA
and project preparaon at an early stage
alone can shorten the metable by two
to three years.