Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb is leading a nine-person delegation to Germany and Switzerland to build on business discussions surrounding medical device manufacturing in Indiana, as well as the state’s role in the global energy transition.
The trip was to begin on Monday in Germany, where Holcomb is scheduled to meet with representatives of some of the 138 German-owned business facilities located in Indiana.
The delegation will also meet with business prospects and host an energy-focused industry roundtable with the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany to “discuss the challenges and opportunities with the global energy transition and joint strategies for accelerating renewable resources,” according to the governor’s office.
On Wednesday, Indiana officials will travel to Switzerland to tour the Dormakaba headquarters and discuss the company’s apprenticeship program. In 2018, the Swiss-based access and security company chose Indianapolis as its Access Solutions Americas segment headquarters.
The trip wraps up on Thursday, when Holcomb and members of the delegation are scheduled to meet with Swiss business officials, including those at Medartis and Roche, to talk about expanding research and development in Indiana’s pharmaceutical and orthopedic industry.
The trip is being paid for through private donations to the Indiana Economic Development Foundation.
“Germany and Switzerland have both been long-standing reliable partners with Indiana for many years,” Holcomb said Wednesday in a news release. “As we think about the future of energy and industrial growth domestically, we must always keep in mind how far away global events effect our shared and connected economies. For example, the war in Ukraine has had serious repercussions that have rippled across all of Europe and Asia and I’m particularly looking forward to discussions with our German partners about how we can assist and lead our way through these times of great industry change.”
The governor’s travel marks his 13th international trip as governor and his third visit to both Germany and Switzerland. It also comes on the heels of a separate privately-funded economic development trip last month in Taiwan and South Korea that focused largely on semiconductors.
Holcomb and other state leaders have in recent months pushed to bolster domestic manufacturing of semiconductor chips in Indiana.
There are 535 European-owned businesses in Indiana that support 117,600 Hoosier jobs, according to the governor’s office. Last year, Indiana exported $10.3 billion to Europe — equal to just over 25% of the state’s total exports. Indiana also imported $36.6 billion from Europe, making up just about 47% of imports.