Hessen is the German software hotspot No. 1. The greatest number of the most successful software enterprises in Germany are located in Hessen. Well-known scientific institutions offer excellent research and development conditions, and they nourish the high ICT education level. The locational advantage of a dynamic traffic infrastructure in the center of Europe and its attractive internationality strengthen these success factors and transform Hessen into a convincing software region with great new perspectives.

Key figures of the Hessian software market

• Status 2007:
  Turnover: 2,77 Mrd. EUR
  Enterprises: 3888
  Employees: 24.661
• Growth 2006-2007:
  Turnover: 20 %
  Enterprises: 7 %
  Employees: 10 %

• 3.888 software houses represent 37 % of all Hessian ICT enterprises.
• The amount of software and games enterprises in Hessen has grown about 50,6 % in 2000-2006
• "Silicon Valley of Europe" (Study Truffle 2010):
  The software region Rhein-Main-Neckar generates more than 50 percent of the turnover of the biggest 100 software enterprises in Europe.
• "The centre fo the German software industry" (Prognos-Zukunftsatlas / Handelsblatt):
  In the region of Darmstadt about 450 start-ups appear every year on the top of 4.500 companies with 25.000 employees.
• The greatest number of the most successful software enterprises in Germany are located in Hessen (source: Lünendonk 2008):
  6 of the top25-IT-Consulting and System integration enterprises, 3 of the 5 greatest - place No. 1
  7 of the top24-Standard software enterprises - place No. 2
  5 of the top25-IT Service enterprises - place No. 3
  4 of the top12-Business innovation/transformation enterprises - place No. 1

Key activities and initiatives, a.o.

• German Top cluster (BMBF-Spitzencluster) "Software innovations for the digital enterprise"
  The 3 greatest German enterprise software vendors, leading small and middle enterprises and research institutions bunch their research activities from 2010 to 2015.
• Cluster enterprise software (Unternehmenssoftware) Rhein Main Neckar
  The regional netzworks "IT4work" and "SW2.0" merge with about 5.000 enterprises, 25.000 employees and 1 Mrd. Euro turnover, supported by the State of Hessen.
• Cluster E-finance lab
  Universities and companies research at the interface of IT and finances.
• Cluster CAST
  The Competence Center for Applied Security Technology (CAST e.V.) represents one of the driving forces in Germany in the field of IT security.
• Networks Zeitsprung and IT-Netzwerk
  With combined forces the North and Middle Hessian networks Zeitsprung IT-Forum Fulda e.V. and IT-Netzwerk e.V. (Kassel) strive for synergies, further development and marketing of their regional ICT competence.
• Alliance digital flow of goods (Allianz Digitaler Warenfluss, ADiWA)
  Within this project supported by the BMBF, SAP, Software AG, TU Darmstadt, INI-GraphicsNet Stiftung, Fraunhofer SIT and others advance the "internet of things" with ca. 28 Mio EUR
• Center for Advanced Security Research Darmstadt (CASED)
  The center researches and develops IT security solutions and brings them into use, supported by the State of Hessen.
• Action-line Hessen-IT
  The action-linie of the Hessian Ministry of Economy, Traffic and Urban and Region Development is the central communication and coordination plattform for the entire ICT-market in Hessen.

Basic dates

• 10.141 ICT enterpriseses in Hessen:
  within Germany one of the tightest networks 
• ICT-stronghold higher education:
  more than 300 ICT-professorships, every second institution of higher education offers ICT -related courses of studies 
• In every 3rd ICT enterprise 80 percent of the employees graduated a college or a university
• The ICT-sector is the largest technology branch in Hessen:
  94.000 employees (ahead of 59.000 chemistry and 56.000 engineering employees)
• ICT share of the Hessian overall economy:
  4 % of the all enterprises, 8 % of all turnover, 18 % of all exports