BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JANUARY 31, 2000 ISSUE
COVER STORY -- THE NEW ECONOMY Where the Action Is 1. IRELAND World's No. 2 exporter of software after U.S. GDP grew over 9% last year. Unemployment is down to 5.1%. 2. SOUTHEAST ENGLAND Thanks to London's financial markets and a surge in Internet startups, the region is one of the richest in Europe. 3. CAMBRIDGE The area around this university town is a center of biotech and software startups. Microsoft has a research center here. 4. PARIS A vibrant center for venture capital. New entrepreneurs' lobby is improving conditions for startups. 5. GRENOBLE Telecoms and microelectronics research institutes have spawned spin-offs. 6. STRASBOURG A major European center for biotech startups. 7. NICE The Cote d'Azur has become a center for software and electronics startups, thanks to R&D centers set up by multinationals such as Texas Instruments and IBM. 8. TOULOUSE With aerospace giant Airbus Industries headquarters here, the region is an incubator for electronics and aerospace startups. 9. BARCELONA Flourishing software and Internet startups, technical universities, and local government policy have pushed unemployment down to 6.5%, less than half the national average. 10. YPRES, BELGIUM The Flemish heartland is home of 42 language software companies, led by Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products. GDP grew 3.1% last year, vs. 2.3% for Belgium overall. 11. THE NETHERLANDS Internet startups are flourishing in one of the world's most heavily cabled nations. 12. FRANKFURT REGION Software giant SAP is located in nearby Walldorf, while biotech startups are dotted around Heidelberg. 13. MUNICH This hot spot for venture capital, with $10 billion in funds under management, is now attracting both American and British venture capitalists. 14. DENMARK The world leader in hearing aids and audio technology--key elements in cell phones. 15. NORWAY Some 80% of Norwegians, 13-20, use cell phones. Joblessness is 3.2%. 16. STOCKHOLM About 80% of the city's residents have access to the Internet, vs. 30% for Europe as a whole. Computer literacy has pushed up incomes 15% above the national average. 17. HELSINKI Home to Europe's most valuable company, Nokia. Here, 65% of residents own cell phones. 18. OULU, FINLAND This Arctic city is a major manufacturing center for Nokia and a research hub, thanks to a technical university and a government-backed science park. The local economy is growing 9% annually. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS Europe: Work in Progress (int'l edition) TABLE: Where the Action Is CHART: Signs of the New Economy: Part 1 CHART: Signs of the New Economy: Part 2 INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

Copyright 2000-2009, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use   Privacy Notice