Austria

Austria is a member state of the EU. 23 FEAST members are from Austria and 17 have collaborative links with Austria.

Austrian initiatives

Austria is to build a new institute of scientific excellence that is intended to act as a stimulus for the country’s science system as a whole, and to increase the attractiveness of Austria as a country for conducting science and research. The centre will be built in Klosterneuburg in Lower Austria.

“This is an important decision for our objective of making research stay internationally competitive,” said Austria’s Minister for Education, Science and Culture, Elisabeth Gehrer.

Ms Gehrer added that the new postgraduate institute will be one of the institutions creating links with the EU’s proposed European Institute of Technology (EIT), as well as other similar institutes in EU countries.

The new institute will have the related aims of raising the level of basic research in Austria in fields as yet unexploited by the country, and offering the best scientists excellent working conditions and opportunities for development. Together with input from industry, the institute should also be a catalyst for structural improvements and increasing competitiveness.

Klosterneuberg was selected as the location for the institute thanks to the fact that building work can start there immediately, and due to good transport connections. The region will also benefit from an estimated 15 to 20 spin-offs per year establishing themselves close to the institute, according to the ministry.

The institute will be financed with both private and public funds, and will be expected to generate some of its income itself, for example by winning grants from the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) and national funding programmes. “The government will be responsible for guaranteeing the remaining necessary funds for the operation of the institute of research excellence,” said the minister.

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