Data report
brnoregion 2024

Explore the latest insights into the #brnoregion innovation ecosystem. Filter and export cited data on research & development, innovation, business, and employment in the Brno region. The data report is issued annually by JIC.

Photo source: CEITEC VUT

Innovation ecosystem

Explore an environment where cooperation between business, academia and the public sphere fosters technological progress and innovation. Find out what strengths and key industries in the region contribute to its economic growth and competitiveness within the Czech Republic and Europe.

Brno region among the strong European innovators

22.3%

Jihovychod (NUTS 2) performance change between 2016 and 2023 compared to the EU in 2016

Jihovychod (NUTS 2), which includes the Brno region (officialy the South Moravian Region) and Vysocina region, improved its performance in the Regional Innovation Scoreboard (RIS) from 87.3 to 101 between 2016 and 2023 and moved into the ranks of Strong Innovators. Compared to the EU in 2016, it improved its performance by 22.3%.

In particular, the region has seen a significant improvement in collaboration between innovative SMEs, reflecting growing trust and a culture of collaboration that is not yet typical in CEE. According to the index, Jihovychod has strengths in joint scientific publications (international and between the private and public sectors) and product and process innovation. Weaknesses include a low number of highly cited scientific publications, patent applications and low levels of lifelong learning among the population.

Jihovychod is surrounded in the Strong Innovator category by the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, with its centres in Bologna, Budapest, Brandenburg, etc. The most innovative regions in Europe are the Copenhagen area (Hovedstaden - RIS 156.3), Helsinki-Uusimaa, Oberbayern (Munich area), Stockholm and Berlin.

The Regional Innovation Scoreboard (RIS) provides a comparative assessment of the research and innovation performance of 239 NUTS 2 regions in 22 EU Member States, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The RIS complements the European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS), which assesses the performance of national innovation systems using an extended set of indicators.

Among the Czech regions, Prague stands out in the Innovation Leader category with an RIS of 127.6. The Czech Republic is in the Moderate Innovator category. In addition to the shift of the Brno region among the Strong Innovators, the significant development of the region with its centre in Brno is also evidenced by the fact that it was the first in the Czech Republic to receive the European Entrepreneurial Region 2024 award for the long-term strategy of supporting entrepreneurship and innovation in the region and the ongoing activities aimed at greater resilience, sustainability and digitalisation of companies.

Regional Innovation Scoreboard categories
Emerging Innovator: 0–69.99% (red)
Moderate Innovator: 70–99.99% (orange)
Strong Innovator: 100–124.99% (green)
Innovation leader: 125+% (blue)

The visualisation shows the innovation performance of European NUTS 2 regions in 2023, and the second dataset allows for a comparison with 2016.

Every third electron microscope in the world comes from Brno

1.28 billion EUR

estimated revenues of 3 leading manufacturers of electron microscopes in Brno in 2023

Nowhere else in the world is there such a concentration of companies and research institutes involved in electron microscopy as in Brno. There are three independent companies of global significance – Thermo Fisher Scientific, Tescan and Delong Instruments, together with dozens of their specialised suppliers who produce components for final manufacturers, especially in precision engineering and electromechanical and optical components.

The estimated revenue of these three major players and leaders in the electron microscopy industry exceeds 1.28 billion EUR (in 2023). It is on a significant upward trend - compared to 400 million EUR in 2016 or 920 million EUR in 2022. Up to 93% of production is exported. The three largest companies employ 2000+ people at their facilities in Brno region.

Thermo Fisher Scientific and Tescan had R&D expenditures of 60 million EUR in 2022. This corresponds to a share of R&D in value added of 49% for Tescan and 40% for Thermo Fisher Scientific, while the average for the high-tech sector in the Czech Republic is around 10%.

Research institutes in the region, such as CEITEC, the Technical University of Brno, the Institute of Instrumentation Technology of the Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Materials Physics of the Academy of Sciences and Masaryk University, are involved in the development of electron microscopes, new methods, and applications. The Brno microscopes are used by renowned scientific institutes all over the world. Electron microscopes also play a vital role in producing semiconductors and chips – see the Semiconductor Industry section.

The visualisation shows the estimated revenue of the three leading manufacturers of electron microscopes in Brno from 2016.

Brno region is part of the European semiconductor value chain

Since September 2023, the Brno region has been the first and so far the only region from the Czech Republic to become a member of the newly established European Semiconductor Regions Alliance, which brings together 27 regions from 12 member states. Another significant milestone last year was the entry of the CZECH NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CLUSTER (CNSC), based in Brno, into Silicon Europe - the most prominent European cluster alliance for innovative electronics and software technologies. The CNSC brings together most of the relevant academic and industrial institutions in the Czech Republic. Companies involved in the semiconductor value chain in the Czech Republic have a turnover of some 1.2 billion EUR, of which 2/3 are companies involved in developing and producing instrumentation, especially electron microscopes, and design in the Brno region.

The region is powerful in IP design, development of electronic design automation (EDA) tools, and extensive R&D in materials and their characterisation. A Czech-Taiwanese chip design centre, ACDRC, has been established in Brno, and there are plans to develop a National Centre of Competence for Chips and Semiconductors as part of the European Network of Competence Centres, a significant part of which will be implemented in Brno. These competence centres will play a key role in the Chips for Europe initiative – the first pillar of the European Chips Act.

Codasip in Brno develops its own processor cores based on the open RISC-V standard, which are used in over 3 billion chips worldwide. The region is also home to NXP Semiconductor (the Dutch group ranked 111th in the EU Industrial R&D Investment Scoreboard 2023 regarding global R&D spending) and On Czech Design, the design centre of the On Semiconductor group (ranked 373rd). The Brno region cooperates closely with the Zlín Region, where onsemi production capacities are based, e.g. through the Brno University of Technology on the newly introduced industrial doctorates, which should further improve the transfer of R&D results into practice.

Lastly, the region offers an extensive and innovative supply chain, including production facilities. Particularly unique is the 30% global share in the development and production of electron microscopes, which are critical to the analysis of semiconductor devices throughout their lifecycle – see Electron Microscopy section.

The visualisation shows the development and production organisations in the semiconductor value chain in the Brno region.

Source: CZECH NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CLUSTER
Source no. 2: EU INDUSTRIAL R&D INVESTMENT SCOREBOARD
Source no. 3: JIC – Internal analysis

Companies from Brno successfully participate in space missions

Brno is the centre of the space industry in the Czech Republic. There are more than 40 companies and research teams working in this field. The ability to collaborate and support each other is crucial to the success of the local space industry. Close cooperation allows even smaller companies and academic institutions to participate in large global projects.

In 2008, when the Czech Republic became a member of the European Space Agency (ESA), there were 15 domestic companies involved in space projects; ten years later, there were more than 60, and the number is still growing. Companies from the Brno region are currently involved in the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer mission - JUICE (G.L. Electronic, BD Sensors, TRL Space Systems, Czech Aerospace Research Centre, Frentech Aerospace, Institute of Scientific Instruments of the Czech Academy of Sciences), the HERA planetary defence mission (OHB Czechspace, BUT, Startech), the SLAVIA mission (SAB Aerospace, Czech Aerospace Research Centre) and many others.

The BRNO SPACE CLUSTER, the first Czech cluster focused on commercial projects, is also involved in ESA projects. The total turnover of the BSC members is some 13.8 million EUR. In addition to business, the cluster is also involved in the popularisation of the field and education, cooperating with the Brno University of Technology to provide the content of specialised curricula focused on space technology.

The presence of the ESA BIC business incubator in Brno also contributes to the development of the space industry in the region, with 14 projects selected and supported so far since 2018, such as AdvaScope, MapTiler, Spacemanic, World from Space and Zaitra, some of which have already received investments from private investors.

The region also has technology companies involved in the value chain of aircraft manufacturing and related technologies. The characteristics of the sector in the Brno region are influenced by the dominant position of Honeywell, with a major development centre in Brno, including an intense concentration of R&D at UNIS, SAAB or Evektor, and the development branch of Aero Vodochody, opened in 2023. Strong supplier relationships in high-precision engineering and electronic equipment contribute to the development of the entire industry.

The visualisation shows selected space missions involving companies and institutions from the Brno region.

{"Headers":[{"Text":"Missions and project","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"Launch","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"Subjects involved","Tooltip":""}],"Data":[{"Missions and project":"JUICE","Launch":"2023","Subjects involved":"G.L. Electronic, BD Sensors, TRL Space Systems, VZLÚ, Frentech Aerospace, ÚPT AV ČR","Description":"Europe's first robotic mission to Jupiter - a probe searching for suitable living conditions on Jupiter's trio of ice-covered moons."},{"Missions and project":"VZLUSAT-2","Launch":"2023","Subjects involved":"VZLÚ, Spacemanic, Zaitra, BD Sensors","Description":"A satellite from VZLÚ which takes high-resolution photographs in orbit. It followed the longest operating Czech satellite ever VZLUSAT-1."},{"Missions and project":"PROBA-3","Launch":"2024","Subjects involved":"Honeywell","Description":"Studying the sun's corona from a much closer distance than ever before, the satellite includes a three-axis so-called MEMS gyroscope from Honeywell."},{"Missions and project":"HERA (part of AIDA)","Launch":"2024","Subjects involved":"OHB Czechspace, VUT Brno, Startech","Description":"The planetary defence science mission is designed to confirm calculations about the possible deflection of asteroids should a dangerous collision with Earth occur."},{"Missions and project":"CIMER","Launch":"2024","Subjects involved":"FEKT VUT (ySPACE), MENDELU","Description":"The first Czech student satellite aims to investigate cells in space, which is being developed by scientists from Mendel University and the YSpace student team from Brno University of Technology."},{"Missions and project":"TROLL","Launch":"2024","Subjects involved":"lead by TRL Space Systems, Zaitra","Description":"Commercial and the largest Czech satellite to date, which will test technologies for the LUGO mission in Earth orbit."},{"Missions and project":"PLATO","Launch":"2026","Subjects involved":"OHB Czechspace, SAB Aerospace","Description":"It focuses on finding and exploring Earth-like exoplanets theoretically suitable for life."},{"Missions and project":"SLAVIA","Launch":"2027","Subjects involved":"lead by SAB Aerospace, VZLÚ, Zaitra","Description":"The ambitious Czech mission includes 2 satellites that will study meteorites for future space mining missions."},{"Missions and project":"QUVIK","Launch":"2028","Subjects involved":"lead by VZLÚ, SCI MUNI, Pekasat","Description":"The first Czech space telescope for observing the Universe in the ultraviolet part of the light spectrum, focusing on transient events resulting from collisions of neutron stars or black holes."},{"Missions and project":"AMBIC","Launch":"2028","Subjects involved":"lead by VZLÚ, SAB Aerospace, World from Space, Pekasat","Description":"Satellite for image data of the territory of the Czech Republic from space and ensuring independence from information from commercial satellites."},{"Missions and project":"LUGO","Launch":"2030","Subjects involved":"lead by TRL Space Systems","Description":"A scientific mission to send a probe to the Moon to study volcanic formations, called Irregular Mare Patches, on its surface to estimate their age."}]}

Source: Brno Space Cluster, ESA BIC, JIC, Czech Space Portal

Cybersecurity companies from Brno grow to a global level

Companies from the Brno region focused on the development of technologies in the field of cyber security have, in several cases, gone into the hands of global players. Grisoft, later AVG, Avast (2016) and now Gen Digital (2022) - historically, this is the first so-called unicorn originally from Brno, i.e. a technology company with a market capitalisation of more than 1 billion USD. This threshold was crossed in 2016 with the acquisition of AVG Technologies by Avast Software. The development centres of both companies remain in Brno and Prague. Note: Another company, ESET of Slovak origin, also has an antivirus development centre in Brno.

Among the other biggest deals for Brno companies was the acquisition of the Flowmon Networks spin-off by Kemp and subsequently by Progress, as well as the most recent acquisition of a startup, Runecast, by Dynatrace, in 2023, reportedly for 37.5 million USD.

Other companies have received significant investment. They focus on network security (e.g. Progress Flowmoon, Greycortex), sensitive data protection (Safetica), online fraud detection (ThreatMark), analysis of virtualised environments (Runecast/Credo) or DNS infrastructure (Whalebone).

The region is also home to subsidiaries of global companies. Four are among the world's top 2500 R&D expenditure companies (Commscope, Gen Digital, Progress Software and Solarwinds).

Strong links with public administration also complement the characteristics of the sector - the National Cyber and Information Security Agency is based in Brno - and academia - for example, the CyberSecurityHubCZ established jointly by Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology and the Czech Technical University in Prague.

The visualisation shows the highest investments in cybersecurity companies from the Brno region identified by Dealroom or based on qualified estimates (in million EUR).

{"Headers":[{"Text":"company","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"value (in mil. Eur)","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"year","Tooltip":""}],"Data":[{"company":"AVG","value (in mil. Eur)":"47,6","year":"2005","tooltip":"Growth Equity VC"},{"company":"AVG","value (in mil. Eur)":"184","year":"2009","tooltip":"Growth Equity VC"},{"company":"AVG","value (in mil. Eur)":"1198","year":"2016","tooltip":"Acquisition"},{"company":"Flowmon","value (in mil. Eur)":"unknown value (less than 30)","year":"2020","tooltip":"Acquisition"},{"company":"GreyCortex","value (in mil. Eur)":"1,2","year":"2016","tooltip":"Seed"},{"company":"Runecast","value (in mil. Eur)":"0,14","year":"2014","tooltip":"Seed"},{"company":"Runecast","value (in mil. Eur)":"0,1","year":"2015","tooltip":"Seed"},{"company":"Runecast","value (in mil. Eur)":"1,6","year":"2017","tooltip":"Seed"},{"company":"Runecast","value (in mil. Eur)":"1,9","year":"2019","tooltip":"Grant"},{"company":"Runecast","value (in mil. Eur)":"34,6","year":"2024","tooltip":"Acquisition"},{"company":"Safetica","value (in mil. Eur)":"0,8","year":"2012","tooltip":"Seed"},{"company":"Safetica","value (in mil. Eur)":"2,3","year":"2014","tooltip":"Seed"},{"company":"Safetica","value (in mil. Eur)":"1,1","year":"2016","tooltip":"Seed"},{"company":"Safetica","value (in mil. Eur)":"unknown value","year":"2020","tooltip":"Series A"},{"company":"Threatmark","value (in mil. Eur)":"0,05","year":"2016","tooltip":"Grant"},{"company":"Threatmark","value (in mil. Eur)":"unknown value","year":"2016","tooltip":"Early VC"},{"company":"Threatmark","value (in mil. Eur)":"unknown value","year":"2017","tooltip":"Early VC"},{"company":"Threatmark","value (in mil. Eur)":"3,5","year":"2017","tooltip":"Series A"},{"company":"Threatmark","value (in mil. Eur)":"2,7","year":"2021","tooltip":"Early VC"},{"company":"Threatmark","value (in mil. Eur)":"4,6","year":"2023","tooltip":"Early VC"},{"company":"Whalebone","value (in mil. Eur)":"0,6","year":"2019","tooltip":"Seed"},{"company":"Whalebone","value (in mil. Eur)":"27,6","year":"2021","tooltip":"Series A"}]}

Source: EU INDUSTRIAL R&D INVESTMENT SCOREBOARD

Source no. 2: Merk

Source no. 3: JIC

Source no. 4: Dealroom.co

High rating of game bestsellers from Brno

According to users of the global gaming platform STEAM, the top-rated bestsellers from the Brno region include those from game studios Amanita Design – Machinarium (95%) or Samorost 3 (94%), 2K Czech/Hangar 13 – Mafia series (up to 94%), Czech Games Edition – Galaxy Trucker (92%), Bohemia Interactive – Arma 3 (91%), or Giants Software – Farming Simulator 22 (91%).

The latest success is Last Train Home, published by Ashborne Games in 2023. Shadowgun Legends (8.6) and Dead Trigger 2 (7.9) – mobile games from Madfinger Games – add to the high scores from users on METACRITIC.

Brno is becoming the capital of the domestic gaming industry. Digital games are already the most prominent cultural export of both the region and the Czech Republic. The whole industry has a long-term upward trend. 40+ studios are operating in the Brno region, generating revenues exceeding 100 million EUR, representing a third of the total Czech gaming industry revenues. The five largest studios - Bohemia Interactive, 2K Czech, Ingame Studios, Madfinger Games and Ashborne Games have 450 employees. Most other game studios have less than 10 employees.

Overall, there is an active and cohesive community of 900+ game developers in Brno, with a predominant focus on PC and console game development over game development for mobile platforms. Board games (e.g. Codenames - CGE) are globally successful, and mobile audio games for people with disabilities are also being developed in Brno (e.g. To the Dragon Cave - Kikiriki Games).

The advantage of this region is that it is home to many experienced developers with over 20 years of experience who connect with young talent for whom there are increasing education opportunities in the region. The first game incubator in the Czech Republic, GAMEBAZE, was established in the Brno creative hub KUMST in 2023.

The visualisation shows the ratings of top games from the Brno region by users on Steam and critics on Metacritic by the end of February 2023.

{"Headers":[{"Text":"Name","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"Metacritic score - critics","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"Metacritic score - users","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"PC version reviews on Steam","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"Year of release","Tooltip":""}],"Data":[{"Name":"Last Train Home","Metacritic score - critics":"80","Metacritic score - users":"7,4","PC version reviews on Steam":"87%","Year of release":"2023","Tooltip":"Ashborne Games"},{"Name":"Farming Simulator 22","Metacritic score - critics":"75","Metacritic score - users":"6,3","PC version reviews on Steam":"91%","Year of release":"2021","Tooltip":"Giants Software"},{"Name":"Mafia III","Metacritic score - critics":"68","Metacritic score - users":"5,3","PC version reviews on Steam":"57%","Year of release":"2020","Tooltip":"2K Czech /Hangar 13"},{"Name":"Mafia: Definitive Edition","Metacritic score - critics":"78","Metacritic score - users":"7,1","PC version reviews on Steam":"87%","Year of release":"2020","Tooltip":"2K Czech /Hangar 13"},{"Name":"Mafia II: Definitive Edition","Metacritic score - critics":"72","Metacritic score - users":"5,9","PC version reviews on Steam":"71%","Year of release":"2020","Tooltip":"2K Czech /Hangar 13"},{"Name":"Creaks","Metacritic score - critics":"82","Metacritic score - users":"8,1","PC version reviews on Steam":"95%","Year of release":"2020","Tooltip":"Amanita Design"},{"Name":"Galaxy Trucker","Metacritic score - critics":"88","Metacritic score - users":"6,6","PC version reviews on Steam":"92%","Year of release":"2019","Tooltip":"Czech Games Edition"},{"Name":"Shadowgun Legends","Metacritic score - critics":"85","Metacritic score - users":"8,6","PC version reviews on Steam":"Mobile game","Year of release":"2018","Tooltip":"Madfinger Games"},{"Name":"Mashinky","Metacritic score - critics":"","Metacritic score - users":"","PC version reviews on Steam":"85%","Year of release":"2018","Tooltip":"Jan Zelený"},{"Name":"Samorost 3","Metacritic score - critics":"80","Metacritic score - users":"7,9","PC version reviews on Steam":"94%","Year of release":"2016","Tooltip":"Amanita Design"},{"Name":"Unkilled","Metacritic score - critics":"65","Metacritic score - users":"5","PC version reviews on Steam":"Mobile game","Year of release":"2015","Tooltip":"Madfinger Games"},{"Name":"Dead Trigger 2","Metacritic score - critics":"77","Metacritic score - users":"7,9","PC version reviews on Steam":"Mobile game","Year of release":"2013","Tooltip":"Madfinger Games"},{"Name":"Arma 3","Metacritic score - critics":"74","Metacritic score - users":"7,6","PC version reviews on Steam":"91%","Year of release":"2013","Tooltip":"Bohemia Interactive"},{"Name":"Botanicula","Metacritic score - critics":"82","Metacritic score - users":"8,3","PC version reviews on Steam":"95%","Year of release":"2012","Tooltip":"Amanita Design"},{"Name":"Shadowgun","Metacritic score - critics":"72","Metacritic score - users":"6,8","PC version reviews on Steam":"Mobile game","Year of release":"2011","Tooltip":"Madfinger Games"},{"Name":"Mafia II","Metacritic score - critics":"77","Metacritic score - users":"8,3","PC version reviews on Steam":"94%","Year of release":"2011","Tooltip":"2K Czech /Hangar 13"},{"Name":"Arma II: Operation Arrowhead","Metacritic score - critics":"73","Metacritic score - users":"8,3","PC version reviews on Steam":"92%","Year of release":"2010","Tooltip":"Bohemia Interactive"},{"Name":"Machinarium","Metacritic score - critics":"85","Metacritic score - users":"8,5","PC version reviews on Steam":"95%","Year of release":"2009","Tooltip":"Amanita Design"},{"Name":"Mafia","Metacritic score - critics":"88","Metacritic score - users":"8,6","PC version reviews on Steam":"89%","Year of release":"2002","Tooltip":"2K Czech /Hangar 13"}]}

Source: Steam, Metacritic, Game Cluster, Game Dev Area, Merk

The innovation ecosystem community is formed through the Velvet Innovation events

1/3

of meetup attendees since 2021 have returned to the event

Community is a key feature of the maturity of an innovation ecosystem as it promotes the sharing of knowledge, experience, and resources among its members, leading to faster and more efficient development of new technologies and solutions. Cooperation and trust support the ecosystem's growth and adaptability and stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship, contributing to overall economic and social development.

In Brno, events such as the Velvet Innovation Conference and regular Velvet Innovation Meetups contribute to a thriving innovation ecosystem community. From November 2021 to February 2024, 15 informal meetups had over 2,053 visits and 1,197 unique participants. This is a success in creating events that people return to repeatedly, with 192 people coming three or more times. The repeat visits indicate the nature of the community at the event and the growing trust between members of the innovation ecosystem. The venues for the meetups are changing, with a total of 12 companies and institutions having hosted them so far.

Entrepreneurs, startup/SME employees and corporate representatives have had the largest representation at the meetups orchestrated by the JIC Innovation Agency. However, a large and growing group consists of research organisations and university employees, students, or public sector representatives.

The visualisation shows the structure of participants of Velvet Innovation Meetups held in Brno from November 2021 to February 2024.

Brno offers affordable office and production space

According to a survey conducted by the Regional Research Forum and Cushman & Wakefield, Brno had almost 690 thousand sqm of office space in 2023, with a vacancy rate of 12.8%. The largest projects include Vlněna, the Spielberk Office Centre and the Technology Park. A further 55 thousand sqm is currently under construction.

In the European context, the highest asking rent in Brno is favourable and, according to the Regional Research Forum and Cushman & Wakefield, stands at EUR 16/sqm/month. Prime office rents vary considerably between European cities. For example, it is EUR 44.5/sqm/month in Berlin, EUR 38/sqm/month in Madrid, EUR 27/sqm/month in Prague and Warsaw and EUR 20/sqm/month in Bucharest.

The industrial market in the Brno region has almost 1.5 million sqm of warehouse and production space in 2023. The highest asking rents range from EUR 5.5-7 per sqm/month. There are 99.7 thousand sqm under construction.

The visualisation shows office space over 10 thousand sqm in Brno by area and the lowest offered rental price in euros as of the beginning of March 2024.

Source: Cushman & Wakefield

Source no. 2: Regional Research Forum

Source no. 3: OFFICE GUIDE

Source no. 4: KNIGHT & FRANK

Research and development

Find out where the region stands in terms of knowledge intensity and how the private sector plays a role in the dynamics of R&D.

Brno region is a leader in knowledge intensity in the Czech Republic

3.1%

share of expenses on R&D out of the region’s GDP

The latest data for 2022 confirm the position of the Brno region as a national leader in terms of knowledge intensity measured by gross domestic expenditure on R&D. Although the year 2022 marked a slight drop in knowledge intensity from 3.2 % in 2021 to 3.1 %, the absolute amount invested in R&D increased by 7 % year-on-year to nearly 920 billion EUR, with a significant majority of 93% expended in Brno-city district.

Business R&D investment also demonstrates higher dynamism (8 % annual growth) than public sector investments in R&D (7 % for the government sector and 6 % for the higher education sector).

Brno region retains a long-term lead ahead of other Czech regions: Prague (2.7 %) and Central Bohemia (2.3 %) as well as the Czech Republic (1.96%) and the Eurozone (2.23%). With this level of knowledge intensity, the region ranks among the top 30 regions in the EU, mostly regions in Germany, Austria, Belgium, and Sweden.

The maps show the share of expenses on R&D out of the region’s GDP (%) as well as the share of people working in R&D out of the total number of employees in the region (%) in 2022.

The share of people employed in R&D is growing in the Brno region

The region's dominance in knowledge intensity is complemented by the share of people working in R&D out of the total number of employees in the region, which is in the Brno region (4.3%), second highest after Prague (6.5%). The share remained almost flat from 2021 (4.4%).

However, this hides the fact that the business sector R&D employment increased and reached nearly 10,000 full-time equivalents (9,910 FTE) while both university and government sectors experienced a slight drop in the number of R&D personnel.

The charts show the curve of the share of people working in R&D out of the total number of employees in the region (%) as well as the curve of expenses on R&D out of the region’s GDP (%).

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In Brno region, there is a high share of R&D employees in small companies

1946

R&D employees in small companies in the Brno region in 2022

Large companies with over 250 employees remain the decisive players in the Brno region research and innovation landscape. They account for most of business R&D expenditure (64 %) and R&D employment (more than 60 % of total business sector employment in R&D).

At the same time, the region is characterised by a high share (20%) of R&D employment in small companies (up to 50 employees), a clear indicator of a vibrant high-tech startup scene in the region. In this respect, the Brno region holds the first position among Czech regions with 1946 R&D employees and accounts for nearly a fourth of all R&D employment in small companies in the Czech Republic.

In terms of sectoral composition, electronics and electrical engineering reported the highest annual increase in R&D investment (an increase of 19 million EUR to a total of 100 million EUR) and ICT activities (an increase of 12 million EUR to a total of 235 million EUR).

The chart shows the number of R&D employees in small companies (up to 50 employees) in the regions in 2022.

Brno region has a significant concentration of companies actively involved in R&D

73

companies with R&D per 1,000 companies with 10+ employees

For a considerable period, the Brno region has been home to a significant concentration of companies actively involved in R&D. As of 2022, there were 73 R&D-active companies per 1,000 establishments employing a minimum of 10 individuals. In other words, the region’s business environment has the highest density of knowledge-intensive companies among the Czech regions, followed by the Zlin and Liberec regions.

Interestingly, the number of companies with their research capacity in the Brno region has increased at a higher rate than the national average, thus further increasing the region’s lead. In absolute terms, the region is home to 523 such companies, which is very similar to the number reported for Prague (528).

The chart shows the curve of the number of companies with their own R&D per 1,000 companies employing 10+ people.

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University students

The students in the Brno region become specialists and experts in various disciplines, given the growing importance of information and communication technologies. The number of international students has been rising in the long term.

Half of university students study technology, natural sciences, or a medical field

51%

of students in Brno study technology, natural sciences, and medical field

University students represent one of the most valuable assets of the Brno innovation ecosystem. Their total number reached 64,873 in 2023, while the number of graduates exceeded 16 thousand, a slight year-on-year increase in both cases.

51 % of students in Brno studied STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) + health fields in 2023, some 15 percentage points more than the national average.

The largest group was made up of students in the fields of engineering, manufacturing, and construction. However, their share has been slowly declining over the past years. Interestingly, the highest relative annual increase in the number of students was recorded in the fields of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Veterinary Medicine (6 %), followed by Health and Social Care (3 %), Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics (3 %) and by Information and Communication Technologies (3 %).

The charts depict the share of university students based on field of study in 2023 and the share of university graduates based on field of study in 2023 in the Brno region.

Note: We count the following fields: ICT; Natural Sciences, mathematics and statistics; Technology, production, and construction; Medical and social care; Agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and veterinary medicine.

The number of ICT students is growing

9.8%

the share of ICT university students out of the total number of students in the Brno region in 2022

The proportion of ICT students out of the total number of students in the Brno region (9.8%) has been consistently increasing. It is now approaching the shares seen in countries with the highest representation of ICT students, such as Finland (10.4%) or Estonia (10.8%), based on 2021 data. In 2021, the EU average was only 5%, whereas the Czech Republic surpassed this average with 6.5%.

There was a total of 6,310 ICT students in the Brno region, accounting for more than a quarter of all ICT students in the country. Seven out of every ten Czech ICT students study in Prague or Brno. In Brno, the most significant number of ICT students attend either the Brno University of Technology (BUT) (3,318) or Masaryk University (2,417).

Regarding PhD studies and graduates in ICT, the students at Brno universities represent a third of the national count. ICT graduates are in high demand in the local tech labour market.

The chart shows the curve of the number of ICT students in 2011-2023 (both aggregate number and %).

In Brno region, there are university students from the Czech Republic and 124 other countries from all over the world

24.1%

international students in the Brno region in 2023

Students from the Czech Republic and 124 other countries study in the Brno region. Out of the total number of 15,426 university students in 2023, students from Slovakia represent by far the largest group, accounting for nearly two-thirds of international students. There were 9,427 students from Slovakia, 1,180 from Ukraine, and 4,344 from other foreign countries.

The internationalisation of the student population in Brno has increased, reaching 24.1 % of total university students in 2023. Interestingly, a higher share of Slovak students prefer STEM disciplines than the overall average for the total student population (66 % compared to 51 %), while 56 % of international students from other countries than Slovakia study STEM.

The number of Ukrainian university students witnessed a 100% increase between 2021/2022 as a direct response to the Russian aggression and the resulting inflow of refugees. However, between 2022/2023, these numbers dropped by nearly 10 %, indicating a relatively high drop-out rate. The numbers of students from Russia and Belarus have fallen even more significantly (by more than 20 % each) due to more stringent security measures towards citizens of these countries. The highest relative increases were recorded among students from Bangladesh and France.

The chart shows the numbers of students from various foreign countries in 2023 and 2022.

Brno is a city promised to students

Brno is a vibrant student city with a rich cultural and social life. According to the ratings and reviews of students and alums collected by the Campus Advisor, the South Moravian metropolis is the 4th best student city in the world. Only Melbourne, Berlin and Newcastle have done better in the 2023 rankings.

Students and alums particularly appreciate the city's nightlife, public transport, overall friendliness, and safety. They see room for improvement in amenities and cost of living.

The visualisation shows the top 15 student cities in the world according to the 2023 Campus Advisor score.

Source: THE CAMPUS ADVISOR

Specialists and experts

Specialists and experts are in high demand in perhaps all major industries. It is a pleasure to see their numbers grow, allowing companies from the Brno region to grow and expand as well.

The share of high-tech employees in the Brno region compares well with the shares in the most advanced Western regions

6.7%

of people employed in high-tech industries

In 2022, the high-tech sector employed 6.7 % of total people employed in Brno region (NUTS 3), which compares favourably with the EU average (4.9 %) and the national average (5.4 %). The high-tech sector represents a combination of industries classified as high-tech manufacturing and knowledge-intensive services. In the case of Brno region, this is represented mainly by IT services, precision instruments manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals manufacturing.

When compared to similar European regions and countries, Brno region's score for 2022 ranks close to Estonia (6.8 %), Sweden (6.7 %) and Finland (6.5 %), or NUTS 2 regions of Brussels (6.9 %), Baden-Württemberg (6.6 %), Leipzig (6.5 %), or Dresden (6.3 %).

The map shows the share of high-tech employees from the total employment rate in selected European NUTS 2 regions for 2022.

High share of ICT specialists is characteristic for the Brno region

In 2023, there were nearly 53 thousand highly qualified specialists in the business sphere (incl. academics and researchers) and over 28 thousand in the public sphere. Looking at the share of specialists in the business sphere, the SMR with 15% significantly exceeds the other regions between 5 and 10%, except for Prague with 25%. The high share of ICT specialists (computer application and software developers) who receive the highest salary is characteristic of the Brno region. This highlights the region's focus on ICT (see also University Students).

The SMR has over 41% of positions in the 1-3 ISCO categories, while the national average is 38%. Most regions, except Prague, are between 26% and 33%.

The table presents the numbers of employees calculated by months paid categorised by industry, along with the median gross monthly salary in the Brno region in 2023.

{"Headers":[{"Text":"Occupation","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"Number of employees calculated by months paid","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)","Tooltip":""}],"Data":[{"Occupation":"Teachers at universities and colleges","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"4994","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"57957","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Software developers","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"4721","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"78286","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Computer application developers","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"3272","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"84025","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"System and computer network administrators","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"2707","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"73522","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Sales and purchasing specialists for products and services (excl. ICT)","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"2475","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"67529","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Mechanical Engineers","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"2356","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"63424","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Civil Engineers","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"1958","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"57600","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Industrial engineering and related fields specialists","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"1804","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"53492","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Accounting specialist","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"1705","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"61985","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Strategy and organisation policy specialists","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"1509","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"64646","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"System analysts","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"1374","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"72829","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Electrical-technology engineers and power engineers","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"1325","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"63743","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Software testing specialists, related fields specialists","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"1318","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"60215","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Specialists in technology related fields","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"1273","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"68091","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Financial analysts, specialists in finance, insurance","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"1010","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"59238","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Advertising, marketing, market research specialists","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"991","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"58523","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Biologists, botanists, zoologists and related specialists","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"819","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"52385","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Personnel menagement specialists","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"660","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"60571","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Electronics engineers","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"657","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"67108","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Economics specialists","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"631","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"64342","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Computer network specialists (excl. administrators)","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"597","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"64442","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Physicists and astronomers","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"551","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"72168","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Chemistry specialists (except chemical engineering)","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"365","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"46652","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Financial and investment advisers and related specialists","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"334","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"66160","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Religious, church and related fields specialists","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"269","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"21955","tooltip":[]},{"Occupation":"Professional workers in education, training n.e.s.","Number of employees calculated by months paid":"174","Gross monthly wage in EUR (median)":"40580","tooltip":[]}]}

Source: Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs – Regional Statistics of Income

Growing number of foreign workers in the Brno region

95,327

number of foreign workers in the Brno region at the end of 2023

The employment of foreign nationals in the Brno region has been on a steady rise, increasing the number from 2022 to 2023 by 4 thousand to a total of 95,327, which is a 4% increase.

The number of highly qualified foreign nationals in the Brno region also increased in 2023. It grew slightly faster than the total employment of foreign nationals (5 % increase), equalling a total of 24,091 individuals by the end of 2023. The highly qualified employees are included in the international employment classification ISCO 1–3. Their share in the total number of foreigners employed in the region accounts for about a quarter.

The bars in the chart represent the trend of the number of foreign workers and highly qualified foreign workers in ISCO 1–3 in the Brno region from 2016 to 2023.

The most significant number of foreign workers in the Brno region come from Slovakia and Ukraine

Ukrainians

the second largest group of qualified foreign workers in the Brno region after Slovaks

The most frequent countries of origin for foreign workers are Slovakia (37 %), Ukraine (30 %), Romania (4 %), and Bulgaria (3 %). The highest relative annual increases were recorded among nationals of the Philippines, Moldova, and Turkey.

The increase in the number of Ukrainians was relatively modest (6 %), in stark contrast to the high increase between 2021 and 2022 (55 % increase). Although in absolute terms, Ukrainians account for the most considerable absolute increase of foreign workers in 2023 (1,703 individuals), the data suggests that the number of Ukrainian nationals seeking refuge from a war-torn country and seeking employment in Brno region has stabilised and is growing at a similar rate as the number of foreigner workers of other nationalities.

The highest relative annual increases of highly qualified foreign workers in 2023 were recorded among Turkey, India, Ghana and Poland nationals. The highest absolute increases were recorded among Slovaks, who account for 75 % of the total increase in highly qualified employment, followed by Ukrainians (8 %) and Indians (7 %).

The highest relative share of highly qualified foreign workers of a given nationality was recorded mostly among citizens of the EU member countries from Western and Southern Europe (Austria, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Portugal, and Italy) together with the USA, the UK, India and Egypt. For all these countries, the employees falling into ISCO 1-3 categories represent more than half of all nationals of a given country working in the Brno region.

The map displays the number of foreign workers in the Brno region from each country, while the other dataset shows the number of highly qualified workers (ISCO 1–3) from each country at the end of 2023.

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High quality of life in Brno

45th

best city in terms of quality of life in the world is Brno

Brno is ranked 45th in the global ranking of quality of life in cities, compiled by Numbeo based on data and surveys of the platform's users. At the beginning of 2024, it reached a score of 165.8, which puts it ahead of cities such as Prague, Krakow, and Budapest and ahead of Western capitals such as Berlin and London in Europe.

The high quality of life in Brno is contributed to by safety, health care level, and the commute length. However, the index also measures pollution, climate, purchasing power, overall cost of living, and house price-to-income ratio. Brno has significant room for improvement in terms of house pricing.

With direct data from users, the Quality of Life Index by Numbeo enables more informed decisions about where people want to live, study, work or otherwise spend their time.

The visualisation shows selected cities worldwide according to the Quality of Life Index by Numbeo at the beginning of 2024.

Companies

Technology companies are the drivers of innovation in the region. See how this ecosystem is described by Dealroom, a renowned platform that collects and analyses information on high-growth companies and connects them to investors. The platform contains a live data feed, so think of the data in this section as a sample of the outputs you can follow and co-create at brnoregion.com/dealroom.

Dealroom: The valuation of tech companies in the Brno region

The valuation is derived from the estimated value of technology companies in the Brno region based on the most recent VC rounds, public markets and publically disclosed valuations.

Historically, the highest valuation has been identified for AVG, a unicorn originally from the Brno region, which has been part of Avast Software since 2017 and no longer exists as a separate entity. Currently, the technology company from the Brno region with the highest valuation identified by Dealroom is Kiwi.com. In 2019, its estimated value was 750 million EUR. Other technology companies with the highest valuation are TESCAN and Tatum Technology. Their value was identified in 2022.

In terms of exits and acquisitions, in 2023, the most significant was the purchase of Smartlook by Cisco (USA), which in terms of volume ranked among the billion-crown exits of the Czech founders (i.e. more than 40 million EUR, but the estimated amount exceeds 80 million EUR).

The table shows the technology companies in the Brno region with the highest valuation identified by Dealroom (in millions of EUR).

Note: The data is always limited to the businesses with indicators published by Dealroom.

{"Headers":[{"Text":"Name","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"Valuation in millions of EUR","Tooltip":""},{"Text":"Date of valuation","Tooltip":""}],"Data":[{"Name":"Kiwi.com","Valuation in millions of EUR":"750","Date of valuation":"VI.19","tooltip":"global flight search engine and ticket reseller"},{"Name":"TESCAN","Valuation in millions of EUR":"272,7","Date of valuation":"XII.22","tooltip":"production of electron microscopes"},{"Name":"Tatum Technology","Valuation in millions of EUR":"150,9–226,3","Date of valuation":"X.22","tooltip":"blockchain development platform"},{"Name":"Webnode CZ","Valuation in millions of EUR":"120","Date of valuation":"XII.20","tooltip":"online tool for creating and managing websites"},{"Name":"Whalebone","Valuation in millions of EUR":"109–163,6","Date of valuation":"V.21","tooltip":"cybersecurity for telecommunications companies, internet service providers and businesses"},{"Name":"Codasip","Valuation in millions of EUR":"60-90","Date of valuation":"VII.23","tooltip":"development of processor technologies based on the open RISC-V platform"},{"Name":"GoodData","Valuation in millions of EUR":"52,3–78,5","Date of valuation":"XI.18","tooltip":"platform for business intelligence and data analysis"},{"Name":"SOLSOL","Valuation in millions of EUR":"39","Date of valuation":"III.23","tooltip":"B2B sales of solar technolologies"},{"Name":"Ashborne Games","Valuation in millions of EUR":"24,4–36,7","Date of valuation":"IV.21","tooltip":"game development"},{"Name":"MADFINGER Games","Valuation in millions of EUR":"21,8–32,7","Date of valuation":"V.21","tooltip":"game development"},{"Name":"Vrgineers","Valuation in millions of EUR":"21,5-32,3","Date of valuation":"XI.23","tooltip":"simulation for pilot training using virtual reality"},{"Name":"ThreatMark","Valuation in millions of EUR":"18-27","Date of valuation":"XII.23","tooltip":"cybersecurity for online banking"},{"Name":"ROI Hunter","Valuation in millions of EUR":"17,6–26,4","Date of valuation":"IX.18","tooltip":"product marketing platform for e-commerce companies"},{"Name":"PEKAT","Valuation in millions of EUR":"16","Date of valuation":"III.22","tooltip":"software for industrial automation and quality control"}]}

Source: DEALROOM.CO

Dealroom: Volume of investments into technology companies marked by global investment market downturn

€30.4 million

total amount of investments into technology companies from the Brno region in 2023 (identified by Dealroom)

According to Pitchbook, global venture capital investment activity has slowed by almost 50%, with 247.2 billion USD invested by the end of the third quarter of 2023, compared to 439.9 billion USD in the same period in 2022.

The downturn in the global investment market was also evident in the Brno region, where, after last year's record year (in terms of the amount of investment in technology companies identified by Dealroom) of 185 million EUR, deals amounting to 30.4 million EUR were made in 2023.

The most notable investments of 2023 were early VC investments in Codasip (semiconductors), VRgineers (VR/AR/space tech), ThreatMark (cybersecurity) and SOLSOL (energy).

The chart shows the curve of the sum of investments into technology companies from the Brno region in 2021–2023 (in millions EUR) by investment rounds.

Note.: The data is always limited to the businesses with indicators published by Dealroom.

Dealroom: European benchmarking based on the investment volumes

The volume of investments in technology companies from the Brno region (EUR 34.4 million) is comparable to the area of Dresden, Germany (EUR 32.2 million) or the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, centred on Bologna (EUR 26.2 million).

Other regions, with which the Brno region or at the NUTS 2 level as Jihovychod can be compared according to the category of strong innovators in the Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2023, showed both lower (e.g. Linz, Brandenburg) and higher (e.g. Budapest, Ljubljana) investments.

After the record year 2022 for the Brno region (EUR 185 million), investments in the Czech Republic and globally have dropped significantly. The situation is related to the economic downturn, to which the venture capital market reacted by cooling down - see section Volume of investments in technology companies.

The chart shows the sum of investments in the Brno region and selected European regions (in millions of EUR) in 2023.

Note.: The data is always limited to the businesses with indicators published by Dealroom.

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Data report brnoregion 2024