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A few words from the director

Dear reader,

Welcome to Greater Geneva Bern area’s annual report for 2022.

The region has performed exceptionally well in attracting foreign investment thanks to the support of the cantonal economic development agencies, with 99 new foreign companies originating from 27 different countries setting up operations here. These companies plan to create 1,220 jobs over the next three years, with the largest contributions coming from Life Sciences, Agro & Nutrition (451), and Information and Communication Technologies (252). Notably, France has remained the top investor in the region, ahead of the United States. You can discover some of these success stories in the Testimonials section of our annual report.

Despite the challenging geopolitical context, Switzerland has maintained its strong reputation as a stable and predictable environment for business. This is reflected in the continued interest from foreign companies in investing in the country, and in our region. GGBa has played a vital role in attracting these investments, thanks to our targeted sectoral approach and the development of online tools to showcase the region’s strengths.

Looking ahead, the prospects for the region are promising, although we are mindful of the ongoing risks posed by geopolitical tensions on foreign direct investment. Nevertheless, we remain confident in the region’s ability to continue attracting new investment and fostering economic growth.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire GGBa team, as well as our partners, stakeholders, and supporters for their continued contributions to the success of GGBa. Together, we can build on this success and continue to strengthen the region’s position as a global leader in innovation and economic development.

Happy reading and kind regards,

writter's picture

Thomas Bohn

Executive director
GGba network

About us

Founded in 2010, Greater Geneva Bern area (GGBa) brings together the cantons of Bern, Fribourg, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Geneva and Valais. GGBa’s mission is to attract foreign companies that will sustainably strengthen the priority expertise clusters of Western Switzerland and create high added-value jobs. More specifically, GGBa generates investment projects through its business development activities in foreign countries, and transmits these projects to its member cantons, which are in charge of implementing them.