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Research - Austria

Updated 11/2010

Legal requirements

In order to promote growth and employment, Austria encourages companies to invest in research and innovation. This is part of the Lisbon Strategy, aimed at increasing spending on R&D to 3% of GDP by 2010.

One of the roles of Austrian policy on research and technology is to provide access to new technologies and specialised knowledge through networking and by promoting cooperation. The key legal foundations for this are:

  • Research and Technology Funding Act Deutsch
  • Federal Equal Treatment Act Deutsch
  • Federal Act on Equality of Treatment for Persons with Disabilities Deutsch
  • Research Funding and Structural Reform Act Deutsch

R&D institutions

The following core governmental institutions are involved in networking research and business. They all provide information about accessing research subsidies available to companies, initial advice and continuative links:

  • Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth Deutsch
  • Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology Deutsch
  • Federal Ministry of Science and Research Deutsch

The Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development (Rat-FTE) makes recommendations to Federal Offices as well as Regional Offices in the field of research and technology development.

  • Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development Deutsch

The Austrian Academy of Sciences is the leading organisation promoting non-university academic research in Austria.

  • Austrian Academy of Sciences Deutsch

Alongside R&D, innovation is essential for businesses to develop and stay competitive.

Intellectual property must be protected to encourage research.

Resources

Austria Wirtschaftsservice (Austrian development and financing bank) promotes awareness-raising measures in the area of research and technology development.

  • Austrian National Prize for Innovation Deutsch
  • Youth Initiative Deutsch

Useful information for people living and working in Austria is available from HELP, the Austrian government help service, and the Business Service Portal USP.

  • USP Deutsch

Programmes

The ERP credit fund provided by Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS) subsidises companies in industry, manufacturing and production-related services based in Austria. The ERP fund is employed for technology projects associated with the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG).

  • ERP fund Deutsch
  • FFG Deutsch

The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) is Austria’s central organisation for the promotion of basic research. It is dedicated to all the sciences and uses the standards of the international scientific community as its benchmark.

  • The FWF’s funding programmes Deutsch

The Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth (BMWFJ) offers subsidies as well as a range of general information on innovation, research and technological development.

  • Subsidies from the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth Deutsch

The Austrian Research Promotion Agency is a national funding institution for applied industrial research in Austria. It supports Austrian businesses, research institutions and researchers with a comprehensive range of services, from the management of public funding programmes to consulting services in all phases of technology development and innovation.

  • Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) Deutsch

Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS) offers a programme for founding and developing innovative companies:

  • tecnet Deutsch
  • i2 Deutsch
  • preseed Deutsch
  • seed financing Deutsch

It also provides an overview of programmes and services for small and medium-sized businesses.

  • List of links provided by AWS Deutsch

The NANO Initiative is a national research and technology development programme designed to create added-value and to pool the resources of the science and business spheres.

  • Nano Network Initiative Deutsch

Energytech.at is the platform for innovative technologies in the areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency. It provides an overview of the subsidy and technology programmes in Austria and the EU with a focus on research and development, as well as demonstration and pilot projects.

  • Energytech.at Deutsch

The Subsidy Compass is a service offered by the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT). It provides free, comprehensive support throughout Austria for access to subsidies for research and technology.

  • BMVIT Subsidy Compass Deutsch

The BMVIT also supports project developments by providing direct access to subsidies.

  • Research creates jobs Deutsch

Check also the legislation on this topic in:

  • References

    Legal texts

    • Research and Technology Funding Act (Forschungs- und Technologieförderungsgesetz — FTFG) Deutsch
    • Federal Equal Treatment Act (Gleichbehandlungsgesetz — GlBG) Deutsch
    • Federal Act on Equality of Treatment for Persons with Disabilities (Bundesgesetz über die Gleichstellung von Menschen mit Behinderungen — BGStG) Deutsch
    • Research Funding and Structural Reform Act Deutsch

    Key documents

    • Austrian Research Promotion Agency — guidelines pdf [137 KB] Deutsch

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Further help

Forschung Austria is a service agency that provides access to expert knowledge and promotes the development of applied research and technology capacities as well as cooperation between research institutions and business operators.

  • Forschung Austria Deutsch

The Innovative Company initiative run by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber was set up to support and advise small and medium-sized businesses in Austria throughout their innovation processes. The initiative provides comprehensive advice on management and legal issues, finance and potential funding.

  • Innovative Company initiative Deutsch

VTO is an umbrella organisation consisting of around 90 Austrian technology centres. It provides opportunities for networking between innovators together with the possibility of experience exchange.

Austrian Cooperative Research (ACR) is an association of 17 scientific/technological research institutions which place their expertise at the disposal of companies that do not have the resources required for research, technology or innovation projects. ACR acts as the hub between R&D and enterprise and provides bespoke, user-oriented support for small and medium-sized companies.

The Austrian Research Centres (ARC) deal with technology transfer, transferring knowledge gained from research and development between Austrian Research Centres and cooperation partners in business. The aim of the organisation is to secure and strengthen companies’ competitiveness through technology and knowledge transfer in the form of project initiation, project development and project implementation.

  • Austrian Research Centres (ARC) — technology transfer Deutsch
  • Research and innovation Deutsch

Austria Wirtschaftsservice offers comprehensive advice to founders of companies in the field of life sciences.

  • Life sciences Deutsch