Living in an increasingly globalised world

Welcome to Viborg Municipality – The Business-Friendly Municipality
Viborg is proud of its history and is looking forward
to an equally exciting future!
Living in an increasingly globalised world, companies
and investors choose locations where world class
competencies are readily available. Therefore I am
pleased that you are considering Viborg Municipality
for your operations.
On behalf of Viborg City Council I would like to
welcome you to Viborg Municipality. Be assured that
we will do our best to accommodate your wishes.
In Viborg Municipality we are very focused on
business development - we have for example drawn
up the Municipality’s ’Common Enterprise Policy’
in co-operation with our business organisations,
our further education institutions and our tourism
sector.
The aim of the ‘Common Enterprise Policy’ is twofold:
1) To be a municipality which, through dialogue with
our businesses, will ensure that our services can
and will be developed in line with the needs of
businesses.
2) To implement actions that will help our
businesses prepare for future challenges.
We have three distinct strengths in Viborg
Municipality. We are internationally oriented,
our businesses are diverse and creative and our
education and knowledge environments are very
dynamic.
We believe that sustainability and further
development of the co-operation between the
Municipality, businesses, education and research
institutions are fundamental when it comes to
growth and development.
This co-operation has for example lead to the
fact, that Viborg Municipality is known to have an
excellent entrepreneur environment and in 2010 we
were elected ’Entrepreneur City of the Year 2010’ in
Denmark.
When it comes to business development, our main
partner is Viborg Business Development Center.
Viborg Business Development Center’s objective is
to ensure both a high quality as well as an
individualised service to businesses located in Viborg
Municipality.
I hope that you will find the enclosed material
interesting and please do not hesitate to contact me
in order to set up a meeting to discuss the
possibilities you have for relocating to or setting up
in Viborg Municipality in the future. We can for
example help you with the organisation of fact
finding tours to Viborg Municipality, site and
premises location, finding skilled employees and
establishing contacts, as well as give you access to
an extensive network of specialist consultants.
Welcome to Viborg Municipality
Yours sincerely
Søren Pape Poulsen
Mayor, Viborg Municipality
Contact details:
Telephone: +45 87 87 80 08
E-mail: sni@viborg.dk
Website: www.viborg.dk/english
Location and Facts
Viborg Municipality is located in the heart of Jutland
in the Central Denmark Region. It only takes an hour
to get to Aarhus or Aalborg. Viborg’s airport, Karup
Airport (www.karup-airport.dk), which is located
approximately 26 km from Viborg city centre, has
more than ten daily flights to and from Copenhagen
– a flight that only takes 45 minutes. From
Copenhagen, central parts of Europe can be reached
within only two hours.
Citizens (9th largest municipality in
Denmark measured by population)
93,400
Area (2nd largest municipality in
Denmark measured by size)
1,422 km2
Businesses
5,400
Further education institutions
21
People employed by companies and
organisations
54,000
Public day care institutions
74
Municipal run primary and secondary
schools
26
International schools
1
Public residential homes
16
Regional hospital
1
Hammerfest
Murmansk
Aalborg
Reykjavik
ICELAND
Kiruna
Nor wegian
Sea
Oulu
SWEDEN
FINLAND
Trondheim
Viborg
Sundsvall
NORWAY
Nor th
Atlantic
Ocean
Gul f
of
B othnia
Tampere
Helsink
i
Gavle
Bergen
Oslo
Århus
St. Petersburg
RUSSIA
Tallinn
Stockholm
ESTONIA
Moscow
Aberdeen
North
Sea
Belfast
LAT VIA
DENMARK
Copenhagen
Dublin
LUX.
POLAND
Leipzig
Frankfurt
Vienna
AUSTR IA
Bern
SWITZE RLA ND
Geneva
Ljubljana
Lyon
Milan
SLOVE NIA
Venice
Zagreb
Valencia
Sevilla
Constanta
Adriatic
Sea
Sofia
Skopje
Ionian
Sea
Palermo
Istanbul
MACE DONIA
Ankara
Tirana
A LBA NIA
TUR KEY
GR EEC E
Malaga
Bl ack
Sea
Varna
BULGARIA
MONTE NEGRO
Naples
Cagliari
Mediterranean Sea
Bucharest
Belgrade
Podgorica
Rome
Tyr rhenian
Sea
Odessa
RO MANIA
SER BIA
ITALY
Barcelona
Chisinau
Cluj-Napoca
Pecs
Sarajevo
Florence
SPAIN
MOLD OVA
Budapest
HUNGARY
B OSNIA
Marseille
A NDOR RA
Madrid
Bratislava
C R OATIA
Bilbao
Lisbon
UKRAINE
Lviv
SLOVAKIA
Munich
FRANCE
ORTUGAL
Kiev
Krakow
Prague
Strasbourg
Nantes
Porto
Minsk
Warsaw
C ZE CH RE PUBLIC
Paris
Bay of Biscay
Vilnius
BELARUS
Poznan
Berlin
Bonn
Brussels
Le Havre
Bordeaux
Hannover
GERMANY
B ELGIUM
English Channel
Odense
LITHUANIA
Gdansk
Rostock
Hamburg
NET H.
Amsterdam
London
København
Baltic
Sea
Tver
Liverpool
U. K.
Cardiff
3 hours
2 hours
1 hour
Riga
Goteborg
Edinburgh
Newcastle
IR ELAND
Patrai
Aegean
Athens
Sea
Business Environment
Being located in Viborg Municipality gives you access
to
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-
-
-
-
internationally recognised business clusters
business incubators
a highly skilled workforce
international education and research institutions
social networks including the Business
Development Center’s business club and’ Viborg
International Community’
Something that particularly characterises Viborg
Municipality is that there is great emphasis on the
Municipality, the business community, the further
education and research institutions and the tourism
sector working together to ensure continued growth
and development and to create synergy.
The main business sectors in Viborg Municipality are
the public sector, manufacturing/production and
business services. The majority of the businesses are
small and medium sized businesses.
However, some of the world’s leading clean
technology companies are also located in Viborg
Municipality:
- Grundfos – the world’s largest pump
manufacturer
- Genan – the world’s largest tyre recycling
company
- Hedeselskabet – a commercial company, which
supports the development of new research and
knowledge and disseminates knowledge about
nature and the environment
Protecting the environment is also important to
Viborg Municipality as an organisation. Over the
years it has become one of Denmark’s leading
municipalities when it comes to international
municipal capacity building projects (also known
as municipal ‘system export’ projects) within waste
management, water supply, waste water treatment
and energy (see ‘Cluster: Environment and Energy’).
Cluster: Agriculture
The Viborg region is the centre of the Danish
agricultural industry with more than 1,300
businesses in the industry. Historically agriculture
has played an important role in the development of
the Viborg region. In Viborg Municipality we have a
large range of suppliers of agricultural equipment as
well as a number of science centres.
Research Centre Foulum, the Faculty of Agricultural
Sciences, Aarhus University
Located just outside Viborg City, you find Research
Centre Foulum which is the largest unit under the
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (DJF), Aarhus
University. The mission of The Faculty of Agricultural
Sciences is to maintain, develop and disseminate
knowledge about sustainable agriculture and the
production of high quality food. The majority of the
Faculty’s research in animal husbandry and plant
production is carried out at Research Centre Foulum.
Furthermore, Research Centre Foulum carries out a
large part of the Faculty’s interdisciplinary research,
i.e. ecology, animal husbandry production and
welfare. Research Centre Foulum is located in close
proximity to Agro Business Park. The Faculty of
Agricultural Sciences employs more than 1000 and
about 450 are researchers.
www.agrsci.au.dk/en/
Agro Business Park
Agro Business Park is a science park specialised in
entrepreneurship and innovation within agriculture,
foodstuffs, bioenergy and environmental technology.
The Science Park participates in a considerable
number of projects with the aim to support
entrepreneurship and innovation within its industry
areas. This applies to companies and start-ups that
can use the park as an incubator. Yearly the Agro
Business Park holds an innovation competition to
stimulate the development of new products and
the establishment of new companies within the
areas of agriculture, food and the environment. The
park is also part of the Enterprise Europe Network
- the largest business support network in Europe
supported by the EU.
www.agropark.dk
INBIOM - Innovation Network for Biomass
INBIO is Denmark’s innovation centre for the
production, conversion and utilisation of biomass.
Its aim is to facilitate sustainable and value-oriented
technological innovation concerning bioenergy and
environmental technology. INBIO’s objective is to
help businesses and research communities come
together to create new solutions in energy and
environment through the use of manure and
biomass. INBIO is located at Agro Business Park.
www.inbiom.dk
VIBORG Food Industry Network
VIBORG Food Industry Network is a well established
network for the local foodstuff sector, related
producers and vendors. The aim of the network is to:
1) provide the participants with new knowledge and
innovation within the area of quality foodstuffs, 2)
organise activities that contribute to the common
growth, development and profile of the local quality
foodstuff sector and 3) increase accessibility and
visibility of the local foodstuff sector through joint
events, marketing material, etc.
www.ver.dk
Future Food Innovation
Future Food Innovation is an initiative established by
the Central Denmark Region to ensure that
companies in the food sector become more
innovative and increase their growth and profits.
The initiative includes measures to help companies
and knowledge-based organisations develop new
ideas and concepts, employ PhD researchers in
businesses, find new technologies and access
international markets. It also includes a support
programme where companies can apply for match
funding to develop innovative products and services.
The project consortium, which includes the Faculty
of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus School of Business Aarhus University, AgroTech, Technological Institute
and VIFU, is co-ordinated by Agro Business Park.
www.agropark.dk
Cluster: Creative Industries
A large range of small innovative companies within
the creative sector – architecture, product design,
graphical design and communication, PR and
advertising – are located in Viborg Municipality.
Furthermore, a number of companies within the
areas of new media, film and video production and
scientific animation have also arisen over the last
years. This growth is connected to the many projects
launched by The Animation Workshop.
Due to the growth in businesses within the area of
animation and new media, Viborg Municipality will
launch a business incubation centre / growth hub
for animation and new media in 2011.
The Animation Workshop – Center for Animation
The Animation Workshop – Center for Animation is
Denmark’s leading animation institution with a
strong network of international companies,
educations and artists. It is an independent unit
under VIA University College divided into seven
departments: Bachelor of Arts Department which
offer two degrees: Character Animator and
Computer Graphic Artist; Professional Training;
Open Workshop; The Drawing Academy; Centre for
Education and Animation; The Incubation House
(see below) and Animation Hub (see below). The
Animation Workshop also acts as link between
interested parties and the animation industry as
well as initiates and implements a large number of
activities and development projects within its fields
of expertise.
www.animwork.dk
MiJAV - The Incubation House
To strengthen entrepreneurship within film, tv,
games and content development for the electronic
medias, The Animation Workshop established the
incubation house Midtjysk Animationsvæksthus
(MiJAV) in 2007. Here, newly started and established
businesses have access to work spaces, business
advice and seminars and will be part of a creative
environment. MiJAV has been established to support
and further develop the environment linked to the
Animation Workshop and to attract new businesses
within the animation industry to Viborg Municipality.
www.animwork.dk
Animation Hub
The Animation Hub is a national innovation network
where companies and knowledge institutions can
share experiences, develop new ideas and initiate
new projects within the field of animation as a
communication tool within science, medicine, news
production and interaction (e.g. games, learning and
device operation/manual handling). The network’s
target groups are: 1) private companies looking for
assistance to study, test or in other ways challenge
the use of animation and 2) the animation industry
in Denmark.
animationhub.wordpress.com
Media College Denmark
Media College Denmark educates photographers,
web integrators and film and TV production
technicians (camera crew, lighting and sound
technicians and editing technicians). It also offers
courses and supplementary training to the media
industry – it was for example the first institution to
develop and offer courses in non-linear editing.
Media College Denmark is also one of the leading
actors when it comes to colour control, digital image
processing and digital media production.
medieskolerne.dk
Kultuhverv – Innovation within Culture and Business
Kultuhverv is a three year project focusing on
innovation in businesses and the development
of cultural institutions that Viborg Municipality
participates in together with the Danish Ministry
of Culture, Horsens Municipality, Silkeborg
Municipality and Randers Municipality. One of
the project’s main objectives is to link creative
people/groups and businesses to create business
innovation. This will also create new areas of work
for creative people. Another objective is to develop
the participating cultural institutions by pairing
them with experienced business managers to learn
from their experience and competences, i.e. a kind of
mentoring.
www.kultuhverv.dk
Cluster: Defence, Security and Aerospace
The Viborg region hosts the largest Danish air
force base - ’Airbase Karup’ (Flyvestation Karup).
The specialised needs of the Danish Air Force
have stimulated the establishment of a cluster of
companies within defence, security and aerospace
in the region. The presence of CAOC (Combined
Air and Space Operations Center) also gives the
cluster access to a significant international military
environment.
Airbase Karup
Airbase Karup is one of the largest military
installations in Denmark and the largest airbase in
Northern Europe. The installation has more than
1,000 buildings and a total area of 2,900 hectares.
It comprises not only an airfield but is also the main
base for the Danish Tactical Air Command and Army
Operational Command. Some of the Danish Air
Force’s most modern and technological advanced
units are present in Karup.
www.ftk.dk
CenSec
CenSec’s is an industrial network of approximately
80 small and medium-sized Danish companies
within the defence, space and security industry. Its
aim is to collect knowledge about defence, space
and security and it cooperates with a number
of knowledge institutions, organisations and
authorities to bring together and disseminate
useful new knowledge to its company members.
CenSec also acts as a link between the military and
civilian businesses across disciplines and industries
and focuses on creating networks and clusters to
develop products, services and solutions across the
defence, space and security industry. Its members are
marketed internationally through seminars, export
promotions, etc.
www.censec.dk
International Airport
With more than 10 daily flights to Copenhagen,
Karup Airport is an ideal connection airport when
travelling from Jutland to Copenhagen on route to
destinations in the rest of Europe, Asia and the US.
The flight, which only takes 45 minutes, makes it
easy to commute to and from Jutland and to attend
meetings in Copenhagen or on Zeeland.
www.karup-airport.dk
Cluster: Environment and Energy
Energy efficiency, renewable energy, sustainability
and environmental protection are high on the
agenda in Viborg Municipality. The local businesses
and organisations as well as the Municipality itself
are very focused on clean technologies and ensuring
that energy efficiency and environmental protection
have been taken into consideration in relation to
their activities, initiatives and products. Viborg
Municipality is located in the Central Denmark
Region (comprises a total of 19 municipalities)
and one of the Region’s main focus areas is the
environment and energy which means that it
supports several environment and energy related
projects and initiatives in the Region.
Viborg Municipality – ‘System Export / Capacity
Building’
Viborg Municipality has since the late 1990s
been involved in several environment and energy
capacity building projects that focus on waste
water treatment, waste management, water supply
and energy in countries such as the Baltic States,
Poland, Thailand, Turkey, China and Bangladesh.
This involvement is also known as ‘system export’
in that the Municipality ‘exports’ its many years of
knowledge and expertise about the sound operation
of utility companies that both are energy efficient
and focused on protecting the environment. These
projects are delivered in co-operation with Revas and
Energi Viborg A/S.
Revas
Revas is Viborg Municipality’s waste management
company and here the circular (recycling) economy
system and dialogue with citizens and businesses
have been in focus for many years. Revas is
responsible for the collection and handling of all
the waste generated by the Municipality’s 5,400
businesses and 40,000 private households – all
types of waste are handled. This means that Revas
handles a total of 145,000 tonnes of waste annually
– 64% of this is reused, 30% is incinerated and only
6% is deposited. Since 1989, Revas has successfully
reduced the amount of deposited waste from
70,000 to 10,000 tonnes. In co-operation with Energi
Viborg A/S, almost 4,000 MWh heat is extracted
from the landfill every year – enough to heat about
200 households. Revas operates 7 recycling stations,
200 residential glass and paper recycling stations
and a chemical waste treatment plant. As part of
its dialogue with citizens, Revas has developed and
implemented the school project, Co2ntainer, where
school children in an interactive way learn how to
reduce the amount of waste and increase recycling
and reuse and thus learn how to improve and
protect the environment.
www.revas.dk
www.viborg.dk
>>
Energi Viborg A/S
Energi Viborg A/S (holding company) is Viborg
Municipality’s utilities company which is responsible
for the supply of electricity, heating and water as
well as waste water treatment and street lighting
- delivered by Energi Viborg A/S’ six subsidiaries.
In 2009 Energi Viborg added an extension to its
existing administration building which complies
with the Danish energy class 1 requirements
meaning that its energy consumption is 50% less
than that of an ordinary house. To comply with
an agreement made with the Danish Ministry
of Climate and Energy, Energi Viborg and its
subsidiaries are to reduce Viborg Municipality’s
entire annual energy consumption by 4,200 MWh
or 4% per year. Energi Viborg operates an energy
centre which objective is to help its customers
save energy and thus protect the environment.
The water supply company has committed itself to
reducing its energy consumption by 25% by 2013.
The main waste water treatment plant operates
a biogas plant which produces electricity – this
electricity production corresponds to approximately
42% of the waste water treatment plant’s annual
electricity consumption. Future initiatives to reduce
energy consumption and protect the environment,
that Energi Viborg A/S currently is looking at are:
Establishment of a waste incineration plant, the
erection of wind turbines and geothermal energy
extraction.
Foulum
Within the energy and environment cluster, you
find a smaller energy and environment related
cluster in Foulum where Agro Business Park,
INBIO and Research Centre Foulum (part of the
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University)
are located in close proximity to each other. The
common denominator for the three organisations
is their focus on bioenergy, clean technologies and
agriculture (see: ‘Cluster: Agriculture’).
www.energiviborg.dk
www.nvhus.dk
The House of Natural Sciences
The House of Natural Sciences’ objective is to
increase school children and young people’s interest
in natural sciences by contributing to a more
interesting approach to science teaching in primary
and secondary schools as well as in colleges. The
major focus is on ‘used’ natural sciences and there
is therefore great emphasis on combining teaching
with how natural sciences are used in reality, i.e. in
businesses. Energy and the environment are integral
parts of natural sciences and there is therefore great
focus on how energy and environmental solutions
and technology are used in the building. The House
of Natural Sciences is used as demonstration
building for the development of a visualisation tool
showing how it is possible both to create a good
indoor climate and to reduce a modern building’s
energy consumption by using the most up to date
energy technology and SCADA system.
Local Businesses
Several of the businesses located in Viborg
Municipality have energy and the environment as
one of if not their main business focus. Just to name
a few, in Viborg Municipality, you will find the head
office of the world’s largest pump manufacturer,
Grundfos; the head office of the largest recycler of
scrap tyres, Genan, as well as Mita-Teknik which
is a leading producer of control systems for wind
turbines, and Hedelselskabet which supports the
development of new research and knowledge and
disseminates knowledge about nature and the
environment.
>>
Cluster: Public Services
In addition to our municipal welfare and service
institutions, a number of regional and national
service and administrative units are also located in
Viborg Municipality.
Viborg Municipality
Viborg Municipality has more than 93,000 citizens
who are serviced by 7,100 employees (converted
into full time positions) and the Municipality has
an annual budget of more than 500 million EUR (4
billion DKK).
In Denmark, more or less all citizen-focused services
except hospitals are the responsibility of the
municipalities which means that areas such as the
social sector, primary and lower secondary education,
child care, employment, utilities, etc. fall within
Viborg Municipality’s areas of responsibility.
Units attached to The Danish Army and The Royal
Danish Air Force
Army Operational Command is the Danish Army’s
top authority directly under the Defence Command.
Combined Air Operations Centre 1 in Finderup – one
of NATO’s four European aerial surveillance centres
where it is possible for the employees to control and
monitor the airspace over Scandinavia, Great Britain,
Iceland and the North Atlantic. The centre has
approx. 200 employees.
Tactical Air Command – The Royal Danish Air Force’s
top authority.
Air Control Wing – with headquarter in Karup that
monitors and controls the Danish airspace. The unit
has 490 employees.
Helicopter Wing Karup is the operative unit for all
the Danish Air Force’s helicopters. The unit is located
in Karup and has 615 employees.
The Danish Air Force’s School of Leadership and
Operational Support (Flyvevåbnets Førings- og
Operationsstøtteskole) – often referred to as the
portal to the Air Force. The school manages all
educational tasks within the Air Force ranging from
the basic education for conscripts to leadership
training, and has 200 employees.
Combat Support Wing supports the Royal Danish
Air Force’s missions with personnel on the ground
including communication, supply and protection and
has 450 employees
Expeditionary Air Staff is a tactical planning unit
that contributes with knowledge about cooperation
between ground forces and air force. The unit
employs approximately 20.
www.viborg.dk
www.forsvaret.dk
The Central Denmark Region
The Central Denmark region manages a complex set
of tasks within the areas of certain national health
service; hospitals; psychiatry; social institutions;
specialised remedial education; public transport;
regional development and special education. The
Regional Hospital in Viborg is the largest unit in
Viborg with 11 specialised departments and 3,000
employees in total. The Region’s political and
administrative headquarter is located in Viborg and
employs 450 people.
www.regionmidtjylland.dk/Om+regionen/English
>>
The High Court of Western Denmark
The High Court of Western Denmark primarily
functions as a court of appeal for the City Courts in
Jutland and the Land Registration Court but also as
a regular court in certain cases. The High Court of
Western Denmark is located in Viborg and employs
105 people.
www.domstol.dk/vestrelandsret
Central and West Jutland Police
The local police station in Viborg serves the citizens
in Viborg Municipality.
www.politi.dk/en/servicemenu/home/
The Provincial Archives in Northern Jutland
The Provincial Archives are research institutions
under the Ministry of Culture and one of their tasks
is to receive and collect historically valuable records
and make them available to the public.
http://www.sa.dk/content/us/
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has
a department in Viborg.
www.uk.foedevarestyrelsen.dk
Interreg IVB’s Management Secretariat
is located in Viborg. The Interreg programme’s main
objective is to make the North Sea Region a better
place for the citizens to settle, work and invest in.
www.northsearegion.eu
Enterprise Europe Network at Agro Business Park
Enterprise Europe Network provides information
and advice to SMEs in affairs relating to
internationalisation and the EU Internal Market. In
addition, support is made available to SMEs for their
international technology projects, ranging from
the identification of technology needs to signing
co-operation agreements. Agro Business Park is
part of Enterprise European Network. See cluster:
Agriculture
www.enterprise-europe.dk
The Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (DJF), Aarhus
University
has its headquarter in Tjele. The Faculty of
Agricultural Sciences has seven departments, one
bachelor degree programme, four master degree
programmes and a PhD school. The faculty has
approx. 1000 members of staff, approx. 450 of which
are scientific staff and 550 technical/admin staff. See
cluster: Agriculture
agrsci.au.dk/en/
VIA University College
VIA University College offer a wide range of
international educational programmes which
qualify students for jobs both in the private and the
public sector. VIA is centred around 8 campuses in
Denmark and its multi-professionalism creates the
frame for the educational activities, the continuing
education and the development of qualifications.
VIA has cooperation-agreements with educational
institutions from almost all over the world and focus
is on student mobility, on cooperation between
teachers and development and research projects. VIA
offers 35 professional bachelor degree programmes
within the areas of health, social education,
technology, trade, design, business and animation
and a range of continuing education programmes.
VIA’s 18 Research Centres ensure that the focus is
always on new and relevant knowledge.
www.viauc.com
Mercantec
Mercantec is the local provider of education and
supplementary and further training in the following
areas:
Auto technique; Construction; Hotel and restaurant;
LeaderLab; House of Technology; Transport and
logistics, Trade and service. Mercantec offers
individually planned course plans for employees and
companies in cooperation with a network of other
educational institutions such as Aalborg University
and the Business Academy.
www.mercantec.dk
>>
Business Services
Viborg Business Development Center’s primary
objective is to promote business development
opportunities in the Viborg region based on the
needs, requests and composition of the Center’s
members, entrepreneurs and companies in the area.
Viborg Business Development Center acts as a
catalyst for or co-ordinator of projects to support
companies, both established and start-ups. The
Center offers a highly professional service to both
local and recently relocated businesses.
The mission of Viborg Business Development
Center is to work proactively and visionary for
the development of business activities in Viborg
Municipality.
Viborg Business Development Center gives
businesses access to advice, business services,
innovation, knowledge, inspiration and networks.
In short, everything required for development and
change.
As a member of the Business Development Center,
you will benefit from:
• Influence on local business policy and the
Business Development Center’s various activities
• Free consultant support
• Locating qualified employees
• Access to a large network of specialist consultants
and educational and research institutions
• Participation in professional networks and
business seminars/conferences
• Participation in projects and initiatives focussing
on business development
• Access to the Business Club - a professional and
social network
Viborg Business Development Center offers the
following services:
• Local fact finding tours
• Assistance with setting up a business including
site location, planning and building permissions,
electronic access to available commercial land in
the region, information about clusters, etc.
• Access to Viborg International Community - a
social network for international employees and
accompanying family members
Viborg Business Development Center
Skottenborg 12-14
8800 Viborg, Denmark
Tel: +45 87 25 51 51
Fax: +45 87 25 51 52
E-mail: ver@ver.dk
Website: www.ver.dk
An International Municipality
The fact that the world is becoming ‘smaller’ and
more and more complex and international cannot be
ignored. People in other countries are only an e-mail,
a phone call or a flight away, a large proportion of
the world’s population has family, friends or business
partners in other countries and people do not think
twice about moving to another country to work or
study. When it comes to ‘being international’,
Viborg Municipality wishes to be one of the most
international municipalities in Denmark with
regards to its citizens, businesses, research and
educational institutions, organisations and sports
clubs as well as the organisation Viborg Municipality.
This international focus comes in many forms and
shapes, and therefore Viborg City Council has
adopted Viborg Municipality’s first international
policy which formalises its international focus.
International Website
On the international website, www.viborg.dk/
english, you can find information about doing
business in, moving to, living in, working in, studying
in and visiting Viborg Municipality. Here, you can also
learn more about Viborg Municipality in general and
about its international activities.
Viborg International School
Viborg International School is not one single entity
but a network of the international courses and
programmes offered by the education and research
institutions located in Viborg Municipality. The ethos
behind Viborg International School is to offer
children and young people a coherent international
schooling from primary education to high school
level. Viborg Private Realskole’s International
Department (primary and lower level) opened in
August 2010. The International Department’s
curriculum is based on both Cambridge CIE and the
national Danish curriculum and all teaching is done
in English.
www.vinsk.dk / www.viborgrealskole.dk
International Educations and Students
Several of the further education and research
institutions located in Viborg Municipality offer a
range of courses in English and are thus part of the
Viborg International School network. As a result of
this, each year they welcome many international
students who either come to the area to take one
semester as part of their education in their own
country or to take their entire education here.
To enhance the student environment in Viborg
Municipality, a new student house will open in the
summer 2011 in one of the old buildings at the
previous barracks area in Viborg.
Viborg International Community
Viborg International Community is a network for
international citizens in Viborg Municipality
– international employees, students and their
accompanying family members as well as Danes. The
purpose of the network is to create a platform where
international citizens meet each other and where
international citizens and Danes meet. The network
meets on the first Tuesday of the month. Further, the
network also organises a number of both social and
informative events every year, e.g. tax seminar, Viborg
Football World Cup and guided tours. The network is
Facebook-based.
International Sports Events
A major international football party will take place
in Viborg in June 2011 as it, together with Aarhus,
Aalborg and Herning, hosts the UEFA European
Under 21’s Championship. Viborg City is home to one
of the world’s best women’s handball teams who
have won both the Champions League and the EHF
European Cup more than once. Beside Viborg HK’s
women’s handball team, their men’s handball team
and Bjerringbro-Silkeborg’s men’s handball team also
play in the Danish premier league and have several
international players.
www.uefa.com/under21 / www.vhk.dk / www.
bjerringbro-silkeborg.dk