‘Florence on the Elbe,’ a city famous for its arts and culture which gave birth to more baby-boomers than any other German city, and a hub for economics and science. The capital of the Federal State of Saxony, Dresden, has many ‘faces.’ With over half a million inhabitants, the people of Dresden are very proud of their city. In fact, they themselves have contributed to its success.

Today Dresden’s expertise and skills go far beyond the pharmaceutical industry alone.

A true "Dresdener" is passionate about what they do. Inventive talent, willpower and determination, but at the same time also warmth and a laid-back approach to life, are characteristic of the people of Dresden.

Economic success is a result of courageous economic investment and development. After the communist centrally-planned economy was replaced at the beginning of the 1990s, the opportunity arose for Dresden to be restored to its former splendour – and Dresden took it with both hands. The city invested with great vigour and courage in advanced technology and its associated research. And this has paid off. Today, Dresden is considered to be one of the most dynamic and forward-looking cities with a strong economy, characterised by medium-sized businesses.

In the past few years, many thousands of jobs, particularly in the high-tech sector, have been created. Situated in the heart of Europe, an intelligent high-tech network has emerged. All these developments have enabled Dresden to become a world-class location in the areas of microelectronics, nano and biotechnology in just a few years.

Microelectronics: networked thinking
With 1,500 companies and research facilities as well as more than 48,000 employees, the region of Dresden has become the leading location in Europe for microelectronics and IT. The business areas of the Dresden-based companies include the entire value-added chain of microelectronics, for example: from chip design to wafer production and processing to a far-reaching supplier, provider and user industry.

Over the past 15 years, many top names in the industry have been established in and around Dresden, such as GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Infineon, X-FAB, AMD and TOPPAN Photomasks. Half of all chips manufactured in Europe already come from Dresden. On a global scale, every third new vehicle is equipped with Infineon microcontrollers which are predominantly produced in Dresden.

However, also innovative medium-sized companies regard Dresden to be an ideal location to put down their roots and to implement their ideas successfully. NOVALED develops OLED technologies for displays with excellent colour reproduction and for ultra-flat, highly efficient lighting elements. With paper-thin, flexible displays by Plastic Logic, you can browse through newspapers in digital form. In fact, in no other city are the opportunities to successfully implement a product idea for microelectronics so promising as in Dresden.

Nanotechnology: Even the small and seemingly insignificant become mighty
The impressive mastery of very small structures has paved the way for the future for Dresden’s economy and its quest for global excellence. Nanoelectronics made in Silicon Saxony, the vacuum plant construction or materials of the future for energy and light-weight construction, are internationally-famous trademarks which originate in Dresden.

Dresden possesses a long tradition of industry and research in plasma-assisted coating processes and surface modification. With approximately 2,000 employees and a tightly-knit supplier network, here the largest cluster in Germany and Europe has developed, with globally-renowned companies such as VON ARDENNE Anlagentechnik GmbH.

However, sustainability objectives such as energy and resource efficiency, ensuring raw materials cycles and climate protection are also of utmost importance. In particular, research facilities in Dresden are producing groundbreaking results, in order to make electric cars lighter, more efficient and safer in the future. Research activities include topics such as performance-boosting battery add-ons, material and surface innovations and permanent rare earth magnets.

Biotechnology/Life Sciences: science is vibrant in Dresden
In 1911 Karl August Lingner, industrialist and founder of the German Hygiene Museum, set up a bacterial department the breeding ground and trigger for the establishment of the serum factory in Saxony. Nowadays, GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals creates new forms of anti-flu vaccinations and equips Europe in the battle against yearly flu outbreaks.

Today Dresden’s expertise and skills go far beyond the pharmaceutical industry alone. Young life science and biotechnology clusters are particularly focused on the areas of molecular biological engineering, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and stem cell research.

A milestone on the way to becoming the leading location for biotechnology in Europe is the Centre for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), which is the only one in Germany focusing on adult stem cells. Doctors, biologists, material scientists, engineers and IT experts develop new and more efficient therapies. The pleasant-looking Axolotl salamander, with its many gills, beady eyes and friendly smile is an object of research for scientists in Dresden, who aim to unveil the secrets of self-healing.

Creative and innovative: cutting-edge research in Dresden
Dresden is a record holder for non-university research in Germany: apart from the facilities of the Technische Universität Dresden [Dresden University of Technology], twelve Fraunhofer, three Leibnitz and three Max-Planck institutions develop forward-looking technologies and materials.

Scientists from around the globe come to Dresden because the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V.provides large devices which offer unique experimental opportunities for international research collaboration. In the same way, Europe’s most modern High Magnetic Field Laboratory is located in Dresden, which produces the strongest pulsed magnetic field in the world.

The close connection between business and science in Dresden is an outstanding feature of the city. Unique to Dresden is also the functioning of networks across all industries. For this purpose, platforms such as the internationally-famous "Silicon Saxony e.V." (the largest network of the semiconductor industry in Europe), and "biosaxony e.V.”.

With ten higher education institutions and approximately 45,000 students in total, today, the region of Dresden is one of the most important locations for higher education in Eastern Germany. The most up-to-date equipment, like for example the "super computer" at the Dresden University of Technology, as well as interdisciplinary lectures and research guarantee the training of young ,skilled specialists and contribute to the excellent reputation of the academic landscape in Dresden.

Dresden: liveable and loveable
Dresden does not only produce excellent minds, but it can also keep them. In the European hub for arts and culture, over 800 years of cultural history is connected with modern developments in architecture, art, music and theatre. Dresden’s historical city centre is well-known worldwide with its unique collection of sights: the Zwinger, Semper Opera, the Royal Palace (Residenzschloss), Brühl’s Terrace and the Frauenkirche church. Each year in winter, Dresden welcomes tourists from all over the globe, who enjoy delicacies such as mulled wine (Glühwein) and Christmas Stollen at the "Striezelmarkt" – the oldest Christmas market in Germany.

Small Dresden, big Dresden
The inhabitants of Dresden, both those who grew up there and those who moved to Dresden, are very proud of their city. They feel at ease in Dresden. In fact, not only are they glad to stay there, but they also choose to raise their children in Dresden. Childcare facilities with flexible care hours offer young families and parents optimal living conditions, by providing them with countless education and leisure activities, suitable rental prices for older flats in tranquil locations as well as one of the lowest crime rates in Germany. In this way, Dresden ensures it is an optimal breeding grounds for ideas, ambitions and involvement. The best investment in Dresden’s future!