The Czechinvest Investment and Business Development Agency, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the CR and the Association for Foreign Investment (AFI) have announced the results of the Investor of the Year 2010 and the Business Property of the Year 2010 competitions. Brno companies ranked very highly in both competitions.

AU Optronics, s. r. o., a Brno company, ranked third in the Manufacturing Industry Category of the Investor of the Year 2010 competition. The company expanded its Brno factory to enable the production and assembly of solar modules. Originally, the firm was established as a high-tech repair centre specializing in the repair of flat panels used particularly in PC, laptop and TV screens.

The IT and Strategic Services Category of the Investor of the Year 2010 competition was completely dominated by Brno. The winner of this category was the Brno branch of NetSuite s. r. o., which focuses on the research and development of world-class software. NetSuite is planning to develop one of its most important offices in Brno in the future.

IBM Global Services Delivery Center Czech Republic ranked second in this category for a project including the expansion of its strategic services centre and the provision of IT outsourcing services.

The bronze medal in this category was awarded to FNZ, s. r. o., which offers a widely scalable management system designed to meet the needs of financial institutions. FNZ software enables the management of both individual and corporate assets. The company's new centre in Brno will develop applications and individual modules to qualitatively improve the Standard Life Platform.

Second place in the High-Tech Property of the Year Category in the Business Property of the Year 2010 competition was taken by Innovation Park run by the South Moravian Innovation Centre (SIC) in Brno. The SIC puts great emphasis on including only high-quality and innovative companies that create new jobs for skilled employees in the Innovation Park. During its seven years of operation, the SIC has facilitated the foundation of more than fifty businesses.

The third place award in this category was given to PFM-Group's Forum Business Centre, which used to serve as Tesla's administrative building in the Královo Pole city district. Since 2006, the centre has leased premises to companies such as Red Hat, a renowned developer of software, particularly the Linux operating system. PFM-Group strives to satisfy the needs of its clients and in 2010, it added another two floors to the Forum Business Centre for Red Hat.

Third place in the Industrial Zone of the Year 2010 Category went to CTP for its CTPPark Brno project. Last year, three major investors, Kompan, Wistron and Visco TeePak, established facilities in the park. Covering an area of almost 200 acres, the industrial park is situated close to the D1 motorway and the Brno-Tuřany international airport, and therefore offers excellent transport accessibility.

Source: Czechinvest Investment and Business Development Agency