Every year the World Capital Institute
recognizes the world's best centers of knowledge with the “Most Admired
Knowledge Cities Award”. In 2015 Vienna
took first place in the category “Knowledge City Region”. The city's
educational establishments, its cultural offering, its high quality of life,
its cosmopolitanism and central geopolitical location were the decisive factors
for Vienna's “pole position”, which is also of central importance in the
competition for international meetings.
Commenting on Vienna's
victory as a “knowledge city”, Christian Mutschlechner, Director of the Vienna
Convention Bureau, said: “Once again, Vienna has
stood out as a university city
with the highest number of students in the German-speaking region and as an
internationally sought-after center of knowledge.” Ever since the year 2007,
the World Capital Institute based in Monterrey
in Mexico
singles out cities that stand out from their competitors in the generation and
management of knowledge for the “Most Admired Knowledge Cities Award 2015”. Vienna was nominated this year for the first time, winning
out against Copenhagen
in second place. The submission was made at the instigation of Andreas Brandner
and Gunter Koch of Knowledge Management Austria (KM-A), who attribute Vienna's success among
other things to the strategic embedding of its knowledge agendas in Viennese
institutions. Vienna
has also achieved success by means of its social capital, internationality and
financial resources, its geopolitical position between East and West, its
environmental awareness, and due to its transport and telecommunications
systems. However, Vienna's
top ranking was also thanks to factors such as equality of opportunity, a
functional health system and not least its innovation and knowledge-based
services. Besides, the strategy of “Innovative Vienna 2020” – approved by
Vienna City Council in September 2015 – has as its objective the continued
promotion of the city's innovative potential.