Basel Area Business & Innovation — dual FDI and startup support agency

Basel Area Business & Innovation (BABI) is the official economic development and investment-promotion agency for the Basel Area, covering the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, and Solothurn. Its mandate is dual: to attract foreign companies ('settlements') and to support local startup foundations.

2023 results (Basel Area Annual Report 2023 / Switzerland Global Enterprise): 34 foreign companies established a presence in the Basel Area, originating from 17 countries across three continents (Europe: 20, Americas: 8, Asia: 6); 76% of settled companies (26 of 34) operated in life sciences; together with 86 locally founded startups supported, the combined 120 entities project approximately 700 new jobs in the region within 3–5 years. In 2022, BABI set a record by supporting 96 startup foundations. The Basel Area is Europe's most concentrated life-sciences cluster, home to Novartis, Roche, and thousands of life-science SMEs.

Why it is a good practice: BABI's dual mandate — attracting foreign direct investment and nurturing local entrepreneurs — within a tri-cantonal PPP provides a comprehensive company-growth model for regions with a dominant sector cluster. The transparent annual reporting, sector-focus, and cross-cantonal coordination are directly replicable by comparable regions.

Read the full analysis: https://baselarea.swiss/