The competence center for foreign direct investment of the Financial Times, fDi Intelligence, has once again compared Europe’s future-oriented tech cities against each other. Several cities from the Greater Zurich Area secured top rankings.
According to the ranking, Zurich is the top mid-sized European city of the future. Zurich boasts the highest economic potential in its category, among other aspects, with the city also securing top spot for human capital and good quality of life among mid-sized European cities. Zurich also made the top ten for international connectivity and business friendliness. Moreover, the innovative capacity of the city was also highlighted in the ranking. For example, this is reflected in the high number of submitted patents, while Zurich is also already home to technology giants including the likes of Google, Microsoft and Amazon.
In addition, Zug secured top spot in the micro cities category (fewer than 100,000 inhabitants) across Europe. The city has the highest economic potential and is also regarded as the most business-friendly city in its category. However, it also scored well in terms of international connectivity, quality of life and human capital. Between 2016 and 2021, Zug recorded 33 foreign direct investment projects in the fields of finance, life sciences and energy, further details of which can be found in the report. Another city from the Greater Zurich Area that secured a top ranking in the micro cities category was Lugano, with the canton of Ticino’s largest city claiming third place in the sub-category of human capital.
Some of the cantons that are part of the Greater Zurich Area also performed well in the rankings. For example, the canton of Zurich was ranked in fourth place in terms of the mid-sized European regions of the future, while in the category of small regions, the canton of Zug was likewise ranked in fourth place. In terms of foreign direct investment strategies, the Greater Zurich Area was ranked fifth for the mid-sized European regions of the future.
The fDi Intelligence awards remain valid for a period of two years. The award ceremony is set to take place in Cannes, France, on March 15.
Download PDF of the ranking here
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