The wide-ranging services provided by the corporate support unit extend, for example, from support in solving problems relating to environmental and commercial law, through preliminary clarification of issues relating to building law, to support for companies in improving the conditions under which they operate. It bundles and coordinates administrative processes and, if desired, accompanies the company through to the implementation of a measure, thus offering service from a single source. The services also include the provision of commercial properties and real estate services (see Chapter II.7). 

In 2021, the Economic Development Department carried out 346 business support measures and consultations for resident Bonn companies. Participation in town meetings, discussions with chambers of commerce and political committees on current challenges are also an integral part of the work. This service is complemented by advice on subsidies, which informs companies about publicly available subsidies for business investments and operating resources. In addition to the business support measures and consulting services, the business development department also supported a total of 245 settlement and investment projects in 2021. In the process, it advised and accompanied foreign companies in their search for commercial real estate in the context of a possible settlement.

Due to the shortage of commercial land and the lack of available municipal commercial land, the city was unable to sell any commercial land to companies in 2021. The focus was therefore placed on finding private sites. In order to be able to offer commercial properties to companies willing to relocate in the future, one focus of the work is currently on the development and qualification of existing commercial properties. Due to the shortage of commercial land, the Economic Development Department will apply even stricter award criteria in future when allocating plots of land. In addition, criteria that are suitable for achieving the city's goal - climate neutrality by 2035 - will play an increasingly important role in the allocation of municipal land.

In 2021, corporate support provided assistance in the context of approval processes, particularly for companies in the service sector, automotive supply, and trade. For example, it supported intended uses with relevance to building and planning law, and also assisted complex construction projects with regard to their approvability.

The city of Bonn intends to become climate-neutral by 2035, to switch its energy supply almost completely to renewable energies and, in parallel, to continuously develop into a city adapted to climate change. This also applies to all commercially and industrially used areas in Bonn under the keyword "commercial areas in transition". Against this background, the pilot project "Klimagerechtes Gewerbegebiet Beuel-Ost" (climate-friendly commercial area Beuel East) is intended to serve as a model project that can also be transferred to other commercial areas in Bonn in the future and to show which possibilities can be used in an existing commercial area to unseal and green areas and to reduce emissions. The city of Bonn, together with the Essen-based engineering firm GERTEC and WILA - Wissenschaftsladen Bonn, started this model project in mid-2021. Together with interested local companies, it is continuously identified how the area can be further developed in a climate-friendly way. Key elements are potential checks and the initiation of measures for a high location quality, an attractive open space structure, efficient energy use and optimized energy generation.

These sample projects illustrate the range of services offered by the company's support:

• Support of relocation and expansion projects of companies from the chemical, automotive supply, health and trade sectors.
• Support of investment projects of a company from the service industry as well as project developers and investors.
• Support of private property owners for the development and marketing of underused industrial sites.
• Supporting an IT company in visa matters.
• Securing site development for companies in the food processing, metal processing and electrical industries.
• Clarification of immission law issues for a laundry company.