KUMAS, Bavaria’s Augsburg-based competence center for the environment, was established in the spring of 1998 as part of a high-tech campaign launched by the Bavarian state government. It has meanwhile built up a powerful network with over 160 members drawn from politics, local administration, science, research and development, education and industry. The main challenge faced by KUMAS is to coordinate and further the know-how of institutes and companies whose activities are relevant to the environment. The goal of KUMAS is to help small and start-up companies engaged in environmental activities during their founding phase, to support existing companies in the face of increasingly stiff national and international competition and to make Augsburg/Swabia/Bavaria an attractive location for companies considering settling in the region.