Economic, Scientific and Academic Life : Germany

Berlin is currently undergoing a process of radical economic change entailing painful adjustments. Nevertheless, its prospects for the future are good: With approximately DM 200 billion in investments slated for the period up until the year 2000 alone, Berlin’s opportunities are virtually unlimited. As the future seat of the Bundestag, the Bundesrat and the Federal Government, as the gateway to the markets of Eastern Europe, and endowed with a first-class infrastructure, Berlin and the surrounding region need not fear measuring up to any standard of comparison.

Its outstanding advantage as a business and industrial location, however, is the network of close contacts between research and development, production and marketing. Three universities, four colleges of the fine arts, the European Business College, nine Fachhochschulen and some 250 non-university research institutions as well as a multitude of small and medium-sized technology firms constitute key potential for future economic growth and new jobs.

Berlin is presently the scene of the greatest building activity in Germany. The firms debis and Sony are constructing spectacular office complexes on Potsdamer Platz. The Friedrichstrasse is being transformed into the ultimate shopping experience. But in the outlying districts as well, more and more building cranes are swinging back and forth over cavernous excavation sites.

Berlin has developed into an important venue for congresses and conventions. Events such as the International Audio and Video Fair, the International Green Week Berlin and the 1TB Berlin - International Tourism Exchange make the city an attractive meeting place for more than 3.2 million visitors each year.