Communications technology

Every university in Bavaria now offers degree programmes specific to ICT, covering the entire spectrum of the sector. Subjects offered include information technology, computational engineering and many other ICT-related programmes. Each year, around 4,400 ICT graduates leave the universities and enter the labour market, forming an attractive pool of specialist staff available to ICT companies in Bavaria. There is also an outstanding network of education and further and additional training on offer outside the universities throughout Bavaria.

Bavaria's universities and research institutions instigate ICT-related research whose significance extends well beyond the state's borders. Bavaria is not only home to eleven universities and 17 universities of applied sciences, but also to renowned research institutions such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits and the Broadcast Technology Institute (IRT), as well as many research associations working on future technologies in the IT and telecommunications environment. Bavaria attracts many top researchers from all fields; assisted not least by the high quality of life the location has to offer.

One of the networking initiatives in the ICT sector in Bavaria is BICCnet, the Bavarian Information and Communication Technology Cluster. The focuses of this cluster's work, such as establishing a Bavarian platform for cooperation and organising up-to-date, topic-driven events and high-level rounds of talks, allow businesspeople in the sector to benefit from this network. In addition, its role also includes establishing and maintaining a network of contacts and integrating regional initiatives.
BICCnet initiates a series of events, working groups and forums related to ICT topics and networking. The cluster operates throughout Bavaria and is complemented by regional networks who set the agenda in more specialised ICT sectors, such as the IT Security and IT Logistics clusters, based at startup incubator TechBase Regensburg. Just like BICCnet, these regional and topic-specific networks not only maintain networks within Bavaria, but also far beyond its borders. The IT Security cluster, for example, now maintains cross-border cooperation with the Information Technology cluster (ITC) in Upper Austria.