in FOCUS

ICS Focus Country Programs are designed to strengthen long-term business relations between Styria and selected international markets through targeted support, expert insights, and exclusive networking opportunities.

Current ICS country focus areas for 2025:

• India | Christina Ulrich
• Japan | Daniela Guss
• USA | Ioana Mihoc
• Western Balkans| Leonarda Bregovic
• Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | Daniela Guss
• Further business trips

From 2024 onwards, the ICS will focus on India, the fastest-growing economy of all G20 countries.

With a large and growing market, a young working population and consistent policies focusing on educational reform, skills development, manufacturing, technology-enabled governance, infrastructure development and improved regional connectivity, the country offers significant opportunities for domestic companies. GDP growth of over 6.5% is already forecast for 2025 and around 7% p.a. for the following years. This momentum is also being driven by a resurgence in private consumption and a huge government investment programme.

As part of its India focus programme, the ICS will concentrate primarily on the promising sectors of mobility, green & clean tech, recruiting, IT and pharma & biotech in the coming years. With outgoing and incoming delegations, training measures in Styria, webinars with international partners, business trips, B2B matchmaking and active network building in Austria and India, our declared goal is to introduce our domestic companies to this challenging market and actively support them in their first steps.

We would be happy to visit and advise you personally at your company and also present you with the specific funding instruments available for your internationalisation project!

For further information or if you are interested, please contact Ms Christina Ulrich!

Since 2025, the ICS has been focusing on Japan as one of the world’s largest economic areas and a particularly important partner for Styria.

Almost a third of Austrian exports to Japan (EUR 1.6 billion) come from Styria. This close relationship is based on long-standing cooperation with leading Japanese companies in the fields of mobility, mechanical engineering, microelectronics, aerospace and the food industry. Increasingly, future-oriented fields such as artificial intelligence, hydrogen and energy are also becoming the focus of cooperation.

A first highlight of the programme was the business trip to World Expo 2025 in Osaka, where around 40 Styrian representatives presented the region’s innovative strength in engineering, digitalisation, mobility, green tech, AI and applied research. Additional visits to Tokyo, Kobe and Kyoto provided valuable insights into key areas of innovation and opened up new partnerships.

See the follow-up report on the Expo trip here: News from Japan – Styrian business trip (german version)

The ICS supports Styrian companies in making targeted use of these opportunities – from business missions and tailor-made consulting to suitable funding instruments for your internationalisation projects.

For further information or if you are interested, please contact Ms Daniela Guss!

The United States remains our second most important export market, and we are seeing steadily growing interest in this significant market among domestic companies. To meet this demand, we offer a range of targeted activities and services. Our activities include workshops that offer valuable insights into specific industries and regions of the USA and help companies optimally align their export strategies. As part of our USA consultation days, companies also have the opportunity to book individual consultations with proven US experts, such as lawyers, tax advisors and other specialists. The next consultation day is planned for autumn.

In addition, we offer ongoing support in the form of consultations for companies that have questions about market entry and expansion in the USA, in cooperation with Außenwirtschaft Austria.

Stay up to date: the latest news, exciting events and insightful commentary – your direct view of the USA! Click here for US Watch (german version)!

If you are interested in a consultation, please feel free to contact us at any time. We look forward to supporting you in your export activities to the USA.

For further information or if you are interested, please contact Ms Ioana Mihoc!

Access to the Western Balkan countries is becoming increasingly important for Styrian companies. In times of global uncertainty and rising production costs, the markets of South-Eastern Europe are coming increasingly into focus.

The region scores highly in terms of geographical proximity, cultural ties, growing productivity and attractive conditions. The Western Balkan states are already important partners for Styria, particularly in the fields of mechanical engineering, the timber and construction industries, energy, green tech and the circular economy.

We are happy to support you in entering the market and expanding your activities in this future-oriented region through cooperation platforms, economic missions, consulting and networking with regional decision-makers.

Stay informed about current projects, events and delegation trips in the Western Balkans country focus.

For further information or if you are interested, please contact Ms Leonarda Bregovic!

We are expanding our Focus Country Program! From 2026, the Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia will be the focus of a new ICS focus programme. The aim is to offer Styrian companies targeted market insights, individual advice and sustainable business development opportunities within the framework of joint activities.

A Styrian business delegation to Saudi Arabia is tentatively planned for late October or November 2026. The exact date is currently being finalised.

Companies that would like to obtain information at an early stage or express their interest can contact Daniela Guss at any time.

Details of the programme will follow shortly.

AUSSENWIRTSCHAFT AUSTRIA offers a comprehensive programme of trade missions.

ICS supports Styrian companies in entering and expanding markets, exploring specific business opportunities and searching for suitable cooperation partners. The aim of these focus programmes is to make better use of opportunities in particularly promising export markets that are difficult for individual companies, especially SMEs, to tap into. When selecting markets, we take into account the wishes of Styrian companies and clusters/networks, but also current opportunities for Styria, particular interest and strong purchasing power in the target country. A new focus programme is offered annually for a period of three years.