City of opportunities

Kaunas has the highest number of universities and schools of higher learning in Lithuania. It also has the biggest textiles, food and beverages, electronics, chemicals, and pharmacy factories all established here - all of which provide Kaunas with massive potential and opportunity; real opportunity provided by investment in sites and services for stimulating new investors.

One example is Technopolis - a centre of technology and knowledge-based business enterprise and research with total investment expected to be almost 500 million litas. At the same time as increasing the tangible sights (and sites) and services, we are concentrating on simplifying all necessary financial and administrative systems as much as possible to make the process of starting business here in Kaunas as easy and as stress-free as possible. A new and realised system which serves as a tool

for business and investment support services based on Geographic Information System - a 'free of charge' system to improve the quality, variety and accessibility of the public services for businesses. Our ideal geographical position puts us at the crossing point of the Via-Baltica and IX B highways, connecting cities from Helsinki, to Warsaw, and linking Klaipeda on the Baltic Sea to Russia. The Kaunas airport is also the biggest international cargo airport in the Baltics. The airport also provides low cost airline flights to many major European cities. Increased flights mean we have a huge potential to attract many more international visitors here and we have invested in this through increasing and improving our tourist sites and attractions and, more importantly, thinking of innovative ways in which to communicate and market them. There have been some clear benefits of joining forces and cooperating with other cities such as the promotion of Hansa City days on and around our 15th Century Town Hall Square and regular twin town initiatives. Engaging with citizens to make the growth of the city relevant and attractive to them is the way forward; if this works we will have over 340,000 local ambassadors for Kaunas!