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
POSITIV 4/2021 ǀ 37