A stronger economy in the Zugspitze region

Munich, 9 October 2026 – Hochschule München (HM) is launching a new project in collaboration with Zugspitz Region GmbH and the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce to strengthen the economy in the border region between Bavaria and Tyrol. The Department of Tourism and the TIZIO Transfer and Innovation Center Oberland (TIZIO) are involved on behalf of HM. The focus is on developing a joint, data-driven framework for the cross-border coordination of structural and start-up policies in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, as well as in the Tyrolean districts of Innsbruck-Land and Reutte.

At the kick-off event on 28 September 2026, Christian Hornsteiner, Deputy District Administrator of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district, presented the funding cheque from the EU’s INTERREG Bavaria-Austria funding programme. The project is being funded with around 75,000 euros from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Highlighting
economic potential The region’s economic structure is characterised by numerous small and medium-sized enterprises. Whilst it offers a wide range of opportunities, it has so far made it difficult to achieve systematic knowledge transfer, the exploitation of synergies and coordinated cross-border economic development. This is where the new project comes in.

At the heart of the project is a data-driven strengths-and-weaknesses analysis of the cross-border regional economic structure. It aims to highlight areas of economic strength as well as other activities with particularly high potential for cooperation and development in the shared border region.

“New strengths emerge where innovative sectors can draw on existing, related knowledge within the region. Particularly for a rural area such as the EUREGIO ZWK, this is the key to positive long-term economic development. Our analysis aims to show where these points of connection lie across the border,” says Project Manager Prof. Dr. Matthias Firgo from the Department of Tourism at HM.

A common basis for economic development
The findings from the analysis will then be interpreted and discussed in three cross-border results workshops together with regional stakeholders from businesses and trade associations.

The aim is to identify concrete starting points for cross-sector cooperation, a coordinated structural policy, and a well-founded start-up and business location policy. This is intended to create a shared knowledge base, on the basis of which stakeholders in Bavaria and Tyrol can collaborate in a more targeted manner in future.

GÜ Cooperations
The ‘GÜ Cooperations’ (Cross-Border Cooperations) project is a joint initiative of Hochschule München (HM), Zugspitz Region GmbH and the Tyrolean Chamber of Commerce, together with its district offices in Reutte and Innsbruck-Land. The project is funded with approximately 75,000 euros under the INTERREG Bavaria-Austria programme and runs from July 2026 to June 2028.

Prof. Dr. Matthias Firgo
Matthias Firgo has been Professor of Tourism at Hochschule München since March 2022. His areas of expertise are tourism economics, regional economics and empirical economic research.

We would be happy to arrange an interview with Prof. Dr. Matthias Firgo.

Contact: Lisa Miethke on T 089 1265-1929 or by email .