INVESTORS IN MSK

Dobré zkušenosti zahraničních firem se zdejším prostředím a lidmi vedly ke stále masivnějšímu přesouvání výroby do ČR. Bylo tak jen otázkou času, kdy se

začnou přesouvat také jiné typy činností s ještě vyšší

přidanou hodnotou, zejm. výzkum, vývoj (dále VaV)

a další činnosti spojené s inovacemi. V současnosti

jsou velké zahraniční společnosti hlavním motorem

rozvoje podnikových VaV kapacit v ČR. Zároveň je

patrný trend růstu dynamiky vzniku nových high-tech

start-upů. Významným impulsem jsou lidé, kteří prošli

VaV týmy úspěšných globálních korporací, nejčastěji

německých.

Samotné Německo dnes hledá cestu, jak propojit silnou

tradici globálně úspěšných korporací s dynamikou start-upové ekonomiky. V globální „soutěži“ o jednorožce

Německo silně zaostává jak za USA, tak jinými inovačními lídry v Evropě. I přesto je vidět, že německá houževnatost a systematičnost se začíná projevovat i v této oblasti.

Pavel Csank,

výkonný ředitel Moravskoslezského inovačního centra

When Germany Sneezes,

Czechia Catches a Cold

The area between Germany to the west and Russia in the east has many of its

own particulars. If we borrow a phrase from the famous book by Professor Samuel

P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations, this area contains the cultural border

between two ‘civilization circles’ which differ greatly. Two examples of these

differences are the conception of the individual’s importance in society and related

differences in outlooks on the free market.

In his widely popular works, Timothy Snyder documents

the political clashes within this border region, conflicts

which, at their raging peaks, caused millions of casualties.

Within this region, historically filled with turmoil, the Czech

Republic has a single key guarantee: Germany’s influence

on its overall standing.

Germany is characterized by its truly commendable

economic vitality; through all the fatal consequences

of Europe-wide conflicts, it has always managed to get

quickly back on its feet and maintain its rank amongst the

most economically powerful nations. Even issues caused

by the country’s unification are simply history now. Today,

Germany represents a global economic superpower,

setting the pace for all of Europe. Neighbouring countries,

with economies that are comparatively much smaller,

are heavily reliant on Germany’s status. In fact, Czechia’s

economic link to Germany is so strong that the somewhat

ironic title of this article is not that far from the truth. The

Czech economy is sometimes even, more vulgarly, referred

to as the Seventeenth Federal Republic of Germany.

Nonetheless, even through historical misgivings, it is

important to take note of the greatly influential economic

benefits stemming from our proximity to Germany. Over

the past thirty years, Czechia has come a long way

towards the development of a market economy propped

up by business and innovation. Germany has been

and still is a dominant business partner throughout this

journey. We ought to keep in mind how many domestic

companies gained not only local but also global respect

through partnerships with German businesses.

economy. Direct foreign investment brought modern

technologies, management approaches and the

opportunity for personal development to many people,

many of which then made use of these new contacts and

experiences to build their own successful businesses. In

the 90s, there was no better way to let so many people

into the global economy at such a quick pace.

Positive experiences of foreign companies with the local

environment and people lead to a massive increase in

the migration of production to Czechia. It was therefore

only a matter of time before different types of trades

with an even greater added value, such as R&D and

other occupations connected to innovation, would start

making this same migration. Currently, large foreign

companies are the engine behind Czech companies‘

R&D capacities. At the same time, we are noticing

a rise in the dynamics of new high-tech startups.

A significant driving factor behind this are people that

have experience in R&D teams of successful global

corporations, most commonly German ones.

As for Germany itself, it is currently looking for a way

to connect its strong tradition in globally prosperous

corporations with the dynamics of a startup-economy.

Germany is seriously lagging behind the USA and other

European innovation leaders in the global development

race, however, the tenacity and systematic nature of the

German people are starting to bear fruit even in this

field.

Pavel Csank,

Chairman of the Board

German and other foreign companies play a vital role in

the evolution of technology and innovation within our

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