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2 f o r e w o r d
3 e d i t o r i a l
5 o u t l o o k Strategy 2020: Outlook for an Innovative Austria 6
Federal RTI Strategy 10
11 the austrian council recommends Recommendations 2009 12
17 creating knowledge Update: What has been Accomplished 18
Basic Expertise: Reports and Studies 24
31 e v e n t s
39 the austrian council Review 2009 40
Outlook 2010 40
The Secretariat 41
Members of the Austrian Council 42
Members of the Secretariat 43
44 c o n t a c t
1 f o r e w o r d
2009 was a year in which research and techno- government initiated a comprehensive process logy policy faced an array of challenges, with to draw up the new RTI strategy. economic conditions necessitating massive cut- backs. Despite this, the federal government has The federal RTI strategy should lay down the intensified its efforts in the area of research, main objectives and guidelines for Austrian technology and innovation and created a budge- research, technology and innovation policy in tary framework that will ensure planning cer- the period up to 2020. The working groups set tainty for research funding up to the year 2013. up for this purpose will present a first interim report in February 2020. At the strategic level, an important baseline study was completed in the form of the system One thing is clear: By integrating the relevant evaluation, and the Austrian Council for policy areas and subsequently making the right Research and Technology Development also investments in education, research and develop - successfully completed its strategy develop ment ment, Austria has the chance to emerge from process. the crisis stronger than before and in the medium term to achieve its goal of becoming an After an intensive discussion process that also “innovation leader”. However, this requires a included an online debate, the Strategy 2020 joint effort by all actors. We therefore wish the was published and presented to ministers at the Austrian Council for Research and Technology Alpbach Technology Forum. On the basis of Development the best of success with its con- existing material – including the Austrian tinuing activities and we will work intensively Council’s strategy document, the system evalu - together to ensure the positive development of ation and the Austrian Research Dialogue – the Austrian RTI.
Doris Bures Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology
Dr. Beatrix Karl Minister of DI Josef Pröll Science and Vice Chancellor Research and Minister of Finance
Dr. Reinhold Mitterlehner Minister of Economic Affairs, Family and Youth
2 e d i t o r i a l
Ever since it was established, the Austrian with a place in the country cluster for innovati- Council has focused its activities on positioning on leaders. In 2009 real progress was made Austria among the top three European nations towards achieving this goal with the publication for research, technology and innovation (RTI) of Strategy 2020.
Strategy 2020 under the Motto “Inno - In the final analysis, the areas of research, inno- vation means Growth – and Growth vation, education and training must be developed Safeguards Prosperity” jointly with a view to improving economic Knut Consemüller The work of the Austrian Council reached a mile - develop ment potential. Chairman of the stone in 2009 with the formulation and presenta- Austrian Council tion of Strategy 2020, which for the time being Treating the Educational and Research forms the last of the Austrian Council’s strategic System as a Single Entity recommendations. The Austrian Council started Education and RTI form a single entity and as from the premise that research not only increases such are the prerequisite for new ideas, new pro- a country’s competitiveness but also safeguards ducts and new services. They form the indispen- national prosperity, promotes social inclusion and sible basis for the kind of successful economic and helps solve societal problems. The ambition to growth policy that is needed if Austria is to per- join the ranks of the innovation leaders is not form successfully in a competitive global en - therefore an end in itself, but is designed to vironment. achieve societal objectives. In recent years, the Austrian Council has there - Nevertheless, a policy that were to focus exclusive - fore increasingly focused on human resources, ly on research, technology and innovation would emphasising the importance of this topic by fail to adequately exploit existing potential. making “People” the first chapter in the Strategy >
Photo (from left to right): Hans Schönegger Knut Consemüller Albert Hochleitner Gabriele Zuna-Kratky Reinhard Petschacher Jürgen Stockmar Dervilla Donnelly Günther Bonn
3 e d i t o r i a l
2020 document. The basic message is that with - scarce financial resources and the most highly out well-educated people there can be no inno- qualified people to enhance those national vation. A strategy that envisages joining the ranks strengths that give them a competitive edge over of the innovation leaders must therefore inte grate other countries. the planning and development of education and RTI. Put plainly: We need to make significant Provided that a wise and yet bold policy is im - improvements to our educational system and plemented, Austria has the chance to emerge adapt it to current conditions and the needs of the strengthened from this crisis. The part played Günther Bonn future. Every young person must have access to here by research, technology and innovation can- Deputy Chairman education and training in order to ensure that not be underestimated, for which reason it is all of the Austrian Council talents are not lost for the country. Parallel to the more important to pay the utmost attention this, additional measures are required to effective - to structuring these areas in a way that meets ly promote life-long learning in Austria. future needs. In this context, the Austrian Council explicitly welcomes the federal government’s Crisis as an Opportunity efforts to draw up a national research strategy The impact of the global economic and financial that will emphasise the importance of education crisis on research policy has radically changed and RTI for our country. the framework conditions which had previously been assumed for the development of the RTI We would like to thank all those who supported system. It became clear last year that the global our work last year, thus contributing to the suc- economy will be very different after this crisis cess of Strategy 2020. Great challenges lie ahead and that some countries will be among the losers for Austrian research policy in the next few years while others will emerge as winners. Those and equally great efforts will be required if we are countries that win the race to the top in 2020 to continue along the path that we have followed will definitely be those which succeed in using so successfully in recent years.
4 o u t l o o k
Effectively supporting research and development in Austria requires a long-term strategy.
5 o u t l o o k
Strategy 2020: Perspectives for an Innovative Austria
On 24 August 2009, the Council for Research vide scientific corroboration of the analysis and Technology Development presented its of the current status of the RTI system. The strategy document “Strategy 2020” containing analysis phase led to the selection of specific proposals and recommendations for the deve- strategy elements, the main purpose of which lopment of the Austrian RTI system to the was to provide a structure for the discussion. government ministers Doris Bures and Johannes This analysis phase was originally to be fol - Hahn. The Strategy’s aim is to position Austria lowed by a working group phase that would as a successful and internationally recognised commence once sound results had become innovation nation by 2020. available. However, the Austrian Council was The basis from which we start is a good one. In requested on several occasions by the respon- recent years, Austria has completed a rapid sible government ministries to formulate stra- catching up process in terms of its RTI perform - tegic guidelines autonomously. ance and is now at the front of the cluster of inno - Confronted with this new starting position, the vation followers, i.e. it is now one of those coun- Austrian Council decided to modify its ap- tries in the European Union with an RTI per - proach. To support the strategy process, plans formance that is above average in many areas. were drawn up for a web-based discussion to Weaknesses in the national innovation system deepen and intensify the process by means of show up above all in the ability to translate virtual interaction with the stakeholders and input into output (i.e. Austria invests a dispro- RTI community. A concept was then developed portionally large share of resources in the RTI that provided the basis for the technical im - system and generates only lower than average plementation of the discussion platform. output in comparison) and in the below-average The Austrian Council adopted a working draft percentage of the population with a tertiary of the strategy at its closed conference on 5-6 education qualification and the small number of February 2009. science and engineering graduates. Prior to initiating the broad public discussion The biggest challenge that Austria has to over- process, the Austrian Council discussed the come in the next few years is to take the step factual accuracy of the proposals contained in from being an innovation follower to an inno- the draft strategy with selected scientific and vation leader. However, this move requires a advisory institutions. fundamental change in the focus of research, On 14 May 2009, the Council finally presented technology, innovation and educational policy. the draft Strategy 2020 which was made acces- The Austrian Council’s strategy structures the sible to a wider public on the discussion plat- reforms that are necessary for this fundamental form www.forschungsstrategie.at. change and sets the necessary accents with All those with an interest in Austrian RTI policy eight strategy elements. were given until 7 June 2009 to submit their comments and debate the individual chapters The Strategy Process of Strategy 2020 and vote on the proposed The strategy was developed in several stages recommendations. The scientific community with a thorough analysis of the current Austrian participated in the discussion very intensively: RTI system forming the point of departure for approximately 50,000 visits were recorded, the entire process. The Austrian Council started with visitors remaining on the site for more by reviewing the implementation status of than 16 minutes on average. More than 400 Strategy 2010 and then systematically surveying users registered and took part in the discussion, and updating the available data. Thereafter, the offering both constructive criticism and a host Austrian Council commissioned studies to pro- of innovative proposals.
6 o u t l o o k
In addition, key institutions in the RTI system Strategy Elements such as the Austrian Institute of Technology Based on a host of studies and analyses, the fol- (AIT), the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), the lowing eight strategy elements were identified: Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) and ❚ People Universities Austria (UNIKO) also issued state- ❚ Society ments in response to the draft strategy. ❚ Input/Output Twenty-two individuals from the RTI com - ❚ Key Research Areas munity also contributed to the process with ❚ Infrastructure VIP blogs of their own. Besides the four ❚ Instruments responsible ministers, these included the pre- ❚ Governance sident of the FWF, the management of the FFG ❚ Internationalisation and Austria Wirtschaftsservice (AWS), the pre- sident of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Each element of the strategy was developed on Universities Austria, the Chamber of Commerce the basis of a thorough gathering of facts and and the Chamber of Labour as well as the Direc- further analyses, studies and workshops etc. Ac- tor of the Austrian National Library. cordingly, an array of study presentations, work- Feedback from the community and the stake - shops and discussions were organised, which holders regarding the discussion process was then provided key input for strategic guidelines generally positive. The Parliamentary Director- and recommendations. Finally, existing strategy ate, for example, praised the approach as “a documents and the results of the Austrian shining example for comparable processes” Research Dialogue and system evaluation were and a “model for the planned electronic sup- also incorporated into the proposals and recom- port for parliamentary consultation and petition mendations for the strategic focus in the period processes.” up to 2020. Finally, to ensure that the strategy was soundly Of course, there are overlaps between the main based and also to increase its acceptance, a areas of the strategy in terms of content: People coordination process was organised with the are at the heart of all activities in the RTI system. responsible ministries. The original plan had Depending on the subject of the research, the been to carry out this coordination process nature and scope of the resources that are re - in the form of an expanded meeting of the quired vary. Strategic goals are pursued by Austrian Council or as a working group com - defining key structural and thematic areas. The prising all ministries. As this idea was rejected adequate deployment of resources based on by the members of the Austrian Council re - efficient steering by governance ensures the presenting the ministries, the discussion pro- successful interaction of people, resources and cess was concluded with bilateral talks with key research areas. The third dimension dif - the individual ministries. ferentiates between the regional, national and The comments from the bilateral talks with the international levels. The first two levels are dealt ministries, the contributions generated by the with jointly in the individual strategy elements; public discussion process as well as the state- due to its increasing importance, the internatio- ments received from the stakeholders were nal level is dealt with in a separate element of reviewed and summarised. These summaries its own. formed the basis for the Austrian Council’s intensive debates about the individual evalu - People ations of the external inputs. Several of these Joining the innovation leaders means increased inputs were incorporated into the strategy demand for higher qualifications. Austria needs document according to their relevance. more and better educated workers. The import - ance of higher education rises disproportion- >
7 o u t l o o k
ately with the rising level of development. The better understanding of the entire RTI sys tem, Austrian Council therefore recommends im - both in quantitative terms and with regard to proving access to education, making tertiary internal linkages. This requires substantial im- education more attractive, positioning science provements to the information and data pool for as an attractive career and making greater use of RTI policy, and the further development of and encouraging immigration. An early start to methods of data analysis and impact research. education and later segmentation in particular are absolutely essential. Balanced ratios of staff Key Research Areas to students at universities and more attractive Identifying priorities and emerging thematic curricula, especially in science and engineering, areas in the Austrian research landscape will are basic prerequisites for improving tertiary become increasingly important. For selected education. Doctoral training also needs to be thematic areas and key technologies that are of improved and contracts brought into line with social or strategic importance for Austria, over- international standards. Furthermore, qualifi - arching priorities should be defined across all cations acquired abroad must be uniformly ministerial jurisdictions and comprehensive RTI recognised throughout Austria and the immigra - instruments developed. This applies only to that tion of top researchers made easier. area of the RTI system that is not defined by a process that is of necessity thematically open Society and bottom-up. The aim of the strategy element The growing importance of science, research, is therefore to point out methods and paths for technology and innovation for our society re - arriving at a holistic definition of key areas and quires new forms of dialogue. It is important to laying the basis for future priorities in the RTI create sustainable space and opportunities for system. social participation which strengthen “social robustness”, i.e. social acceptance of technologi - Infrastructure cal advances. The development of a strategy to RTI infrastructure is an indispensible basis for shape this dialogue by the ministries, Austrian cutting-edge, internationally prestigious research. Council, scientific and research community and Due to its unique nature it represents a good stakeholders will therefore be essential. To this means of strategically positioning the research end, the Austrian Council also recommends the location. An appropriate infrastructure, especial - institutionalisation of this dialogue, ideally in ly in the field of basic research, not only drives the form of an independent institution, as well employment, it also acts as a magnet that draws as a system of incentives to encourage scientists Austrian and international researchers. The to participate in the dialogue. Austrian Council therefore recommends linking the area of RTI infrastructure to international Input/Output infrastructures with consideration for key In recent years Austria has been particularly thematic areas, and coordinating planning successful at mobilising financial resources for activities with regional, supra-regional and RTI. In the current unstable economic climate, European levels. Greater joint (supra-regional) however, new targets need to be developed in use should also be made of large-scale infra- order to achieve steady growth in R&D spending. structures. The three percent research quota should be de- fined as an interim target and the present struc- Instruments ture of the various types of research should be The extensive portfolio of potential instruments balanced and developed further with a focus on for intervention in the RTI system must be used output. The need to catch up in terms of turning in a targeted and coordinated manner if the resource input into result output necessitates a overarching goal of strengthening the Austrian
8 o u t l o o k
innovation system and positioning it among the institutions that are responsible for the im - front runners is to be achieved by 2020. A key plementation and management of public inter - element of the Austrian Council’s RTI strategy ventions in the RTI system. It is therefore essen- is, therefore, to present a way of using the tial to develop a model for the target state of the instruments that focuses on streamlining the RTI system in 2020. Changes to the structures multitude of programmes that do not achieve a and processes can only be successful if they are critical mass and concentrating the use of re- based on clear objectives. In the opinion of the sources on a small number of broadly-based key Austrian Council, the changes that need to be research areas that are of strategic, economic made concern the concentration of research and/or social relevance for Austria. The instru- agendas at the ministries responsible for applied ment for the corporate sector should be diver- and application-orientated research (BMVIT and sified in accordance with the specific problem BMWFJ), the merging of the supervisory and under consideration. In order to increase R&D steering structures of the funding agencies (also intensity in the business sector, a special effort with a view to being able to allocate funding to should be made to address small and medium- the key areas flexibly and as needed) and the sized enterprises, as their potential is still far autonomy of the agencies based on the stra tegic from exhausted in Austria. requirements of the ministries.
Governance Internationalisation In the area of governance, the main objective is Changed global conditions require decentralised, to optimise the steering and interaction of the flexible yet sufficiently coherent approaches to >
The Chairman of the Austrian Council, Knut Consemüller and Council member Reinhard Petschacher present Strategy 2020 to ministers Hahn and Bures
9 o u t l o o k
international cooperation. Communication, tion should replace the handling function. The which in the past was handled by state bodies, establishment of the European Research Area in will in future take on a more immediate and particular will lead to a further strengthening direct form and will be carried out by funding of this trend. Participation strategies for Euro - agencies and research institutions. A re - pean approaches to internationalisation (e.g. alignment of responsibilities at the ministries ERA-NET) will therefore have to be jointly is therefore needed and the coordination func - developed.
Federal RTI Strategy
In its Government Programme for the XXIV Legis- Over the last two years, a sound information base lative Period, the Austrian government acknowl - has been created, which the government intends edged the central importance of research, technol - to use as the starting point for its strategic mea - ogy and innovation for Austria’s future. If the sures: The cornerstones of the federal RTI strate- government is to achieve its stated aim of making gy are the results of the Austrian Research Dia - Austria one of the most innovative countries in the logue, the evaluation of the research funding EU, a networked approach must be adopted to- system and the recommendations put forward by ward research policy that is based on cooperation the Austrian Council in August 2009 for the period between all actors and which takes into account up to 2020. the reciprocity of knowledge generation and its ap- Six ministries (BKA, BMF, BMVIT, BMWF, BMWFJ, plication. The development of a com prehensive BMUKK) are involved in developing the federal RTI strategy is therefore the logical consequence. RTI strategy in consultation with parliament and On 1 September 2009, the Austrian government key stakeholders. The cabinet decision stipulates therefore gave the go-ahead for the formulation of that a binding strategy document for research, a federal RTI strategy designed to put Austria on technology and innovation in Austria should be the path to becoming an innovation leader by adopted by June 2010. defining the strategic objectives, tasks and key areas of an integrated RTI policy.
10 recommendations
The Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development is the advis - ory body to the Austrian government on all issues of research, technol ogy and innovation policy. Its core remit is to draw up recommendations to safeguard and increase Austria’s competitiveness.
11 recommendations
Recommendations 2009
Recommendation Regarding the both the regional and international levels, this Austrian Cluster Initiative – 12 May 2009 is not the case at the national level. Back ground Austria was an early mover in terms of cluster Since the launch of the Lisbon process, the EU policy, both in Europe and globally. There are has implemented an array of long-term measures currently approximately 40 cluster and network to strengthen innovative capabilities and the initiatives in Austria, numerous partnerships knowledge base in Europe. between the provinces and the first visible In the process, clusters have received increasing federal-provincial partnerships (e.g. LISA). Clus - recognition as a key innovation policy tool. ters have positioned themselves as important As a consequence, the main EU programmes actors and instruments of innovation policy and (Structural Funds, FP6/FP7, CIP etc.) have given of a strength-orientated economic and regional increasing consideration in their programme policy. Developments within the European definitions to clusters or corporate networks Union must be carefully observed in order to with a predominance of SMEs. In Austria – as in respond to them appropriately. In this context, other European countries – a host of further it is an advantage that the regions (provinces) networks and clusters have been created in already have excellent structures in place that recent years that have generated considerable must not and should not be changed. Despite value added for their members. While activities the differing approaches adopted by the pro - and structures exist for clusters in Austria at vinces, common topics can be identified that can
12 recommendations
be worked on with federal support. For this, it it should be remembered that it is also possible is necessary to adopt a longer-term approach to to have too many clusters. The scale of cluster the topics and develop a culture of cooperation. activities in Austria’s national innovation system In early 2008, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, can only be optimised within the framework of Family and Youth (BMWFJ), therefore launched a comprehensive strategy. a coordination process for the cluster initiatives ❚ Joint, supra-provincial topics must be identi- under the name Cluster Platform Austria. fied that can be tackled with the support of the federal level. For this purpose, it is necessary to Recommendation adopt a longer-term approach to the topics and For the reasons stated above, the Austrian develop a culture of cooperation. A concept or Council supports the Austrian cluster initiatives a strategy must be drawn up that includes a de- in general and the cluster process (Cluster Plat- finition of those framework conditions that are form) of the BMWFJ in particular. To ensure essential for this collaboration. The Austrian that the cluster process receives the proper sup- Council is willing to pay a key role in formulating port from Austrian innovation policymakers at and implementing the strategy. both the regional, but especially the national ❚ The BMWFJ’s initiative can contribute to level, the Austrian Council recommends: increasing the efficiency of cluster activities by ❚ •The role played by clusters in the Austrian providing a national focus and through coop er - national innovation system is still insufficiently ation. Prompted by this common interest, the clear. A sound expert report should therefore be Austrian Council will also accompany the used to ascertain this role and how it can form BMWFJ’s cluster process. the basis for further activities. The question of clusters covers a number of fields – innovation, Recommendation Regarding Key Areas SMEs, special technologies etc. – and is current- for the National Foundation – 5 June 2009 ly the subject of intense discussion, but is not On 3 April 2009, the Foundation Board of the essentially a new issue. National Foundation adopted revised guiding ❚ Clusters are currently a largely region-/pro- principles, which among other things, stipulate vince-specific topic. While there are appro- that its strategic priorities will be defined by the priate structures and activities at the regional Austrian Council. The Foundation therefore re- and international levels, they are lacking at the quested the Austrian Council to provide it with national level. These should therefore be created, a list of key thematic areas that are coordinated building upon existing and tried-and-tested with those of the ministries and which should structures. also form the basis for decisions concerning ap - ❚ Austria must adopt a corresponding focus at plications submitted in 2010. In future, priority the EU level, for example by positioning when awarding funds should be given to: Austria within the framework of the EU initia- ❚ Strategic RTI initiatives (e.g. venture capital tive Towards World Class Clusters or by coor- and the like) dinating national measures with the EU Cluster ❚ Socially relevant RTI initiatives and Policy. ❚ Test phases for new national RTI pro grammes ❚ Some of the most important aspects of the and projects. cluster platform of the BMWFJ are the focus on federal-provincial cooperation, the involvement The aim must be to allow new programmes, of the funding agencies (FFG, aws and FWF) as ideas and initiatives to be financed from well as active participation in shaping Euro pean Foundation funds. In terms of the allocation of programmes. funding, the National Foundation should place ❚ The potential of clusters in Austria has not a clear emphasis on “high trust” organisations yet been fully leveraged, but at the same time, and “high risk” projects. >
13 recommendations
The Austrian Council recommends that con- fore recommended expanding the existing FFG sideration be given to those key areas that were and FWF programmes for the promotion of defined in Strategy 2020 in the forthcoming inter-sectoral mobility and developing them round of calls and when making the funding further with a view to promoting excellence. decisions. Thus, the following requirements can Austrian Academy of Sciences: Programmes be laid down for the individual institutions: are to be submitted that conform to the Foun- dation’s criteria and the key thematic areas de- Austrian Science Fund: Excellence in basic re- fined by the Austrian Council. To ensure plan- search (e.g. also at clusters of excellence) ning certainty, the core budget should be com- should be supported. In view of the current dif- pletely financed from the ordinary budget. In ficult situation, an appropriate share of funding the view of the Austrian Council, the current should be allocated within the Foundation. imperative is to reduce a substantial shortfall in Austrian Research Promotion Agency: Particu- the remaining budget. lar consideration must be given to programmes Christian Doppler Research Association: The to safeguard Austria as a business location, e.g. Austrian Council attaches growing importance the programme lines Research Headquarters to programmes that build bridges between and the Bridge programme. The Austrian Coun- universities, applied research and industry, cil considers that inter-sectoral mobility facili - especial ly in times of crisis. In particular, the tates innovation. In its Strategy 2010 and sub- Austrian Council recommends supporting those sequently in the Strategy for Excellence, it there- insti tutes that are consistent with the current
14 recommendations
priorities defined by the Austrian Council in Recommendation Regarding the Inter- terms of their content. national RTI Monitor – 1 December 2009 Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft: Funding Background should be targeted at those institutions or key “The biggest challenge that Austria has to over- research areas that are consistent in terms of come, is to take the step from being an innova- their content with the priorities as defined and tion follower to an innovation leader, or from ranked by the Austrian Council. being a country that is engaged in a catching up Austria Wirtschaftsservice: In principle, the process to one that produces at the cutting edge Austrian Council welcomes the use of Foun - of technology, i.e. is a front-runner.” This is dation funds for venture capital activities and re- how the Austrian Council for Research and commends that suitable framework conditions Technology Development described Austria’s be defined and courses of action identified in current objective, which also enjoys broad advance. Sufficient (to be defined during the political support. On the way to becoming a application process) and long-term funds should leading European research nation, defined by be made available by the Foundation for venture the government as being one of the three capital initiatives. leading states in the European Union, it will be necessary to pay close attention to the develop - Recommendation Regarding the ment of these leading innovation nations. The Statistics Act – 18 September 2009 Austrian Council therefore suggests continuous- In 2009 the Statistics Act of 2000 was amended ly monitoring these countries and conducting on the basis of a bill submitted by the Federal comparative analyses with Austria. Chancellery. Paragraph 31 of the earlier version This monitoring should focus upon the most of the Statistics Act prohibited Statistik Austria important areas and key data of the countries from passing on statistical data concerning indi- concerned. In order to ensure comparability vidual cases to other institutions. and limit data collection expenses, most of the The social sciences refer to such statistical data data to be monitored is extracted from the as micro-data and its use in scientific analyses is international statistics of the EU and the OECD. standard international practice. On 11 March The Austrian Council’s Strategy 2020 and the 2009, the European Parliament and the Council system evaluation carried out on behalf of the of the European Union issued a Regulation BMVIT and the BMWFJ have shown that in (No. 223/2009) allowing policy advisors and future it will be necessary to concentrate more scientists to access micro-data that has been de- on research, technology development and inno- identified. In other countries, too, for example, vation output variables. Internationally, these Germany, the use of such statistical information, are measured in the European Innovation Score- is also standard practice. Not least of all for this board. In addition to these output variables, the reason, the Austrian Council considers it essen- Scoreboard also includes various input variables. tial to influence the reform of the legal frame- The Austrian Council closely studies the indica- work governing the use of statistical data. tors and thematic areas upon which the score- On the basis of Strategy 2020, the Austrian board is based, and attaches a great deal of im- Council recommends creating a legal frame- portance to the analysis of the data, especially work that will allow the scientific community in comparison with the innovation leaders. and the Austrian Council, as the highest govern- ment advisory body on RTI policy, to access Recommendation micro-data that has been de-identified. This will The Austrian Council recommends subjecting take into account developments in the use of the RTI performance of the innovation leaders micro-data and ensure that policymakers re ceive (and where necessary, other relevant countries) advice of the highest quality. to a systematic monitoring. This data would pro- >
15 recommendations
vide a benchmark for measuring political data is also available in a form that compares measures with best practice examples from the Austria with the leading countries. leading innovation nations. The availability of The Austrian Council considers that the com- data in suitable categories and at a suitable pilation of the RTI monitor falls within its statu- aggregation level is indispensible for political tory remit, as it supports the presentation of advisory work. It is therefore essential that this the leading benchmarks.
16 creating knowledge
As facilitating innovation is the core principle of the Austrian Council’s work, intensive efforts were continued in 2009 to advance progress in the strategic fields.
17 creating knowledge
Update: What has been Accomplished
RTI Monitor: Learning from Comparisons tors and information upon which the European Austria’s goal is to close the gap on the leading Innovation Scoreboard is based. During the European research nations. To measure the pro- course of the system evaluation, it became gress it has made, a continuous comparison apparent that in future it will be necessary to needs to be made with the front-runners among focus more strongly on output variables. The EU member states. The Austrian Council has there - Austrian Council has drawn up a proposal for fore suggested continuously monitoring these the structure of the RTI monitor and will in countries and carrying out comparative analyses future update the monitor with the latest data. with Austria. The focus in terms of countries will be upon Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Den- Key Thematic Areas in R&D mark, Germany and the United Kingdom. The definition of key thematic areas for the Au- Most of the data upon which the ongoing strian RTI system played a very important role analyses are based have been extracted from during the development and formulation of Stra- the available international statistics of the EU tegy 2020. The Austrian Council succeeded in and the OECD. Here, one has to distinguish drawing up a list of key research areas that re- between input variables (e.g. state or corpor ate present current strengths or exhibit significant investments in R&D) and output variables (cor- future potential, both in an international context porate revenues generated with new products and within the Austrian RTI landscape. The or the number of graduates as a percentage of Council then roughly calculated corporate R&D the total population). expenditures for these areas and published the The Austrian Council closely studies the indica- results in Strategy 2020.
18 creating knowledge
EUR 86 mn. (–4 %) EUR 2.868 mn. (+25 %)
Business enterprise sector Institutes EUR 211 mn. (+28 %) (+20 %) EUR 131 mn. (+19 %) sub-sector EUR 428.5 mn. Company EUR 853.7 mn. (+8.2 %) R&D sub-sector EUR 297 mn. (+58.5 %) EUR 4.020 mn.
Public sector Abroad EUR 76.8 mn. (+18.4 %) (incl. EU) EUR 330 mn. (+18,3 %)
Figure 1: EUR 78.6 mn. (+17 %) Higher education Financing and per- of which EUR 51.9 mn. (+11 %) sector EUR 1.355 mn. (+6.8 %) formance of R&D in EUR 1.523 mn. (+8 %) Austria in 2006 (compared to 2004)
Source: Data from Statistics Austria R&D Survey 2006 (in comparison to R&D Survey 2004); Figure by tip, data update by Austrian Council
The experience that it was only possible to between the financing and the performance make these estimates with the help of a number sectors are nicely shown in a structure diagram of secondary assumptions and not possible at all that was developed by the research and consul- in the case of the university sector, led the tancy programme tip and which is used by the Austrian Council to recommend the develop- Austrian Council. ment of a process for collecting data in coope- In 2006 an Austrian Council working group ration with those organisations that collect the started using a simulation programme (POWER - data (Statistik Austria, funding agencies, minis- SIM) for these calculations. In 2009 the Systems tries). It is recommended that in future, data Research division of Austrian Research Centers with a strategic relevance for RTI policy should (ARC) completed the switch to the VENSIM be regularly collected and evaluated while system, providing the Austrian Council with a avoiding overlapping surveys. balance model for the cash flows within the research system that can also be extended to Model of the Austrian RTI System examine additionality effects and other inter- For its work, the Austrian Council uses the dependencies. statistics on the financing and performance of research and development that are collected on Fiscal Incentives in an a regular basis by Statistik Austria, in particular International Comparison the 2-yearly survey and the annual global estima- In order to arrive at a better understanding of te of gross domestic expenditure on R&D. On the effectiveness of indirect research funding, the basis of this data, supplemented by ad- i.e. support that is given mainly in the form of ditional studies, alternative trajectories are tax allowances, the Austrian Council carried out calcu lated and budgets analysed. The cash flows an analysis of this instrument within the frame- >
19 creating knowledge
work of an international comparison. The rele- advantage in the international competition vance of this analysis is shown by, among other between business locations on the grounds of things, the discussion among Austrian research its indirect research funding. On the contrary: policymakers about the reform of the research It is very clear that, in recent years, Austria has tax allowance and the research premium by lost the competitive advantage of earlier year’s combining both instruments in a higher vis-à-vis the EU and the OECD average. research premium. In summary, and this is consistent with the re - Given the complexity of indirect funding instru- commendations of the Austrian Council and the ments and their interdependency with the tax results of the system evaluation, it must be con- system, it is essential that a synthetic index – the cluded that increasing the research premium as B Index – is used for international comparisons. a key indirect funding instrument is of crucial An analysis carried out by the Austrian Council, importance for safeguarding Austria’s quality as a which examined the generosity of fiscal incen- business location in an international comparison. tives toward SMEs and large corporations, pro- duced some surprising results: Thus one euro RTI Platform Austria: Meetings spent on research and development in Spain in Klagenfurt and Pamhagen receives a subsidy of approximately 40 cents. The platform for cooperation between the fede- The figure in Austria is only 8.8 cents. It is note - ral government and the provinces, Platform RTI worthy that the sums in both the United King- Austria, met twice in 2009. The first meeting dom (approx. 10 cents) and Denmark (approx. was held on 2 and 3 July in Klagenfurt at the in- 16 cents), both of which are among the innova- vitation of the Kärntner Wirtschaftsförderungs- tion leaders, are above the Austrian figure, and fonds (KWF), the second on 15 and 16 October in the case of Denmark, well above it. in Pamhagen at the invitation of the provincial Thus Austria cannot lay claim to any distinct government of Burgenland.
RTI Platform in Lower Austria (from left to right) Lindorfer, Garzik, Kratky, Reich, Stockhammer, Hammerschmid, Weiss (moderator), Priedl, Schönegger, Stangl, Binder
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The meeting in Carinthia was dominated by a 2020. Following the studies presented by Marita brainstorming process regarding concrete pos- Haas and Gerlinde Pöchhacker in 2008, the sibilities for cooperation and joint areas of ac- Austrian Council also put forward a thorough tion. The results of this process were fleshed out analysis of the issue under the heading “People” in more detail at the second meeting and packed in the Strategy 2020. This then formed the into specific areas of work which were then basis for three strategic guidelines and a total of assigned to specific provincial representatives to 17 recommendations. be dealt with by them. The findings are based on the assumption that The Platform identified the following seven in knowledge-based economies, the future of a areas of work for the period up to 2015: location depends on the qualifications, com- 1. Human Resources: Supra-regional coordina- mitment, creativity and motivation of the tion people. To maintain and increase its prosperity, 2. Research Infrastructure: Ascertainment of Austria therefore requires more and better demand and strategic planning of supra-regional qualified, committed and creative workers – investments both university graduates and highly qualified 3. Strategic coordination between the pro - skilled workers. An all-embracing approach is vinces, including internationalisation, when set- crucial here: Education, research and inno vation ting strategic priorities have a mutual impact on one another and if 4. Increased awareness-raising and public decisions in these areas are made in isolation relations work for RTI from one another this can result in a very in - 5. Paths to more radical innovations in Austria efficient system. 6. Technology Transfer: Sharing of regional Joint planning and concerted implementation best practices and experiences regarding the are therefore needed. The strategic guidelines in transfer of patent rights between publicly- the “People” chapter of Strategy 2020 are: funded research institutes and companies ❚ Improve Access To Education 7. Governance Structures: Improvement of the ❚ Raise the Profile of Science as a Career structural and organisational interfaces between ❚ Use and Promote Immigration the provinces, and between the provinces and federal government. These recommendations were fleshed out in The purpose of the Platform is to facilitate syste- greater detail in a further project with the title matic and regular cooperation between federal “Strategic Approaches and Lines of Action to and provincial representatives of the research, Strengthen Human Capital in Austria.” The first technology and innovation funding sector. For project results were presented to the public by this purpose, a closed group was set up compri- the Chairman of the Austrian Council, Knut sing one representative from each of the federal Consemüller, at a press conference on 30 No - agencies and one representative from each of the vem ber 2009. These included the four pillars, provinces, the latter each with authorisation to which the Austrian Council believes should make decisions. These representatives were form the basis for an education offensive: nominated by the political leaders in the pro - ❚ Early childhood education vincial and federal governments (i.e. provincial ❚ A joint framework for 10 to 14 year olds that governors, members of regional governments, at the same time provides individual support ministers). Substitutes are not permissible. for children ❚ Greater initiatives to support children from Human Resources: Motivating sections of society with poor educational oppor- and Strengthening People tunities or from immigrant families The Austrian Council gave ample consideration and to the topic of human resources in its Strategy ❚ Broadening of scientific and technical skills >
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Science and Society: In response to the results of these studies, the New Paths to Dialogue Austrian Council gave extensive consideration As the “Innovatives Österreich” initiative was to this topic in Strategy 2020 – not least of all, discontinued in 2006 without anything else because the relationship between science/RTI being put in its place, the Austrian Council has and society cannot be reduced solely to the commissioned several studies in recent years ques tion of the most appropriate form of com- that explore support measures for science and municating information. It is a relationship that RTI communication, as well as questions sur- is also influenced by debates surrounding values rounding social participation. and norms, and classic questions of democratic
Interest in new inventions and technologies
EU 25 30 % 48 % 21 % Don’t know Moderately interested Austria 24 % 53 % 22 % Not at all interested Very interested
Interest in new scientific discoveries
The attitude of EU 25 30 % 48 % 20 % Don’t know Moderately interested Not at all interested Very interested Austrians to Austria 26 % 50 % 22 % science, research, Science makes our ways of life change too fast
technology and EU 25 60 % 21 % 18 % Don’t know Disagree innovation in Austria 62 % 15 % 20 % Neither agree nor disagree Agree a European Sign petitions or join street demonstrations about nuclear power, biotechnology or the environment comparison EU 25 11 % 14 % 73 % Don’t know Occasionally Never Regularly Austria 5 % 22 % 26 % 45 % Hardly ever In my daily life, it is not important to know about science
EU 25 37 % 46 % 16 % Don’t know Disagree Austria 54 % 28 % 16 % Neither agree nor disagree Agree Source: European Commission (2005): Europeans, Science and Technology. Special Eurobarometer 224. Brussels, p. 7, 9, 27, 66, 68
1 Martos, A. / Pay, F. / Weiß, W. (2008): “Governing” Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft. Comparative report by Science Communications, Vienna; http://www.rat-fte.at/tl_files/uploads/Studien/0810_FINAL_Governing%20Wissen- schaft%20und%20Gesellschaft_Studie_ScienceCommunications.pdf. Kozeluh, U. (2008): Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft. Verhältnis – Auswirkungen – Einbindung. A report on behalf of the Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development, Vienna; http://www.rat-fte.at/tl_files/uploads/Studien/Endbericht%20Wissen- schaft- Gesellschaft_UK_FINAL%20mit%20Deckblatt.pdf. See also the Annual Report 2008 of the Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development, Vienna 2009, S. 41-43; http://www.rat-fte.at/tl_files/ uploads/Taetigkeits berichte/ACbericht2008_screen.pdf. Also: Kozeluh, U. / Müller, J. / Schütz, O. / Streicher, B. (2009): Good-Practice-Elemente von dialogisch/diskursi- ven Verfahren und niederschwelligen Science-Center-Aktivitäten zur Unterstützung von Good Governance im Bereich Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft, Wien; http://www.rat-fte.at/tl_files/uploads/Studien/ScienceCenterNetz- werk_Goodpractice%20Elemente%20von%20dialogisch-diskursiven%20Verfahren.pdf .
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theory, such as: Who participates in discussions energy as a key area of research within the of “relevant” questions and who does not, for Austrian RTI system. The Austrian Council what reasons and with what consequences? recommends giving high priority to energy The more science, research, technology and research and developing an overall strategy as innovation touch the lives of each one of us, the quickly as possible with the involvement of all more necessary it becomes to broach the issue actors and programmes. As a first step, the of possible changes and consequences. While Austrian Council has therefore given its support more information does not automatically mean to the further development of the strategy greater acceptance or approval of controversial process initiated by the BMVIT, e-2050, and in areas of science and research, it is, however, ne- coope ration with the BMVIT, the Austrian Energy cessary for a dialogue that can provide a frame- Agency and the Austrian Society for Environ- work for dealing with conflicts more trans - ment and Technology, has drafted an expert parently, comprehensively and in a more struc- paper with the title Energy Research Strategy for tured way. The area of “Awareness” that the Austria: Proposals for Measures in the Area of Austrian Council has dealt with ever since it Research, Technology and Innovation. was established, has therefore been broadened The Austrian Council regards this paper as a to “Science/RTI and Society.” basis for the discussion of a forward-looking In terms of content, this will also include possi - development of Austrian energy research. In bilities for social participation as well as science the view of the authors, it includes the most im- and RTI communication. The focus on ethics in portant elements of a future-orientated energy science and RTI is also new. As science and research in Austria. In particular, these include research are not just about “knowledge” but governance, the effectiveness of the promotion also always imply “acting” and “shaping,” they system, thematic priorities and the definition ultimately also present an ethical and moral of key areas as well as budgetary developments. challenge. A suitable research infrastructure and human resources are major prerequisites for an energy- Expert Paper: Energy Research innovation policy that will prove successful in Strategy for Austria the long term. However, international partner- The energy system today faces hitherto unseen ships are also becoming increasingly important. challenges. Fundamental changes will there fore Last but not least, framework conditions – in - have to be made if we are to respond effective- cluding those from other policy areas – that are ly to climate change while at the same time conducive to innovation can be crucial for the satisfying the rising demand for energy and successful implementation of the policy and guaranteeing a sustainable security of supply. will be addressed accordingly. New technologies play a central role in this The discussion that is now necessary and which structural change. Only long-term measures in will hopefully soon take place, especially in con- research, technology and innovation can de - nection with the Energy Strategy for Austria being cisively contribute to developing a new and developed by the ministries of economic affairs sustainable energy system. and the environment (BMWFJ and BMLFUW), In its Strategy 2020, the Austrian Council for will help to substantiate and implement the Research and Technology Development defines proposed measures and recommendations.
23 creating knowledge
Basic Expertise: Reports and Studies 2009
Reshaping the Relationship Between structured using a comprehensive spectrum of Science and Society methods. As many forms of communication as A spirit of partnership between science/RTI and possible, the level of existing knowledge and dif - society is a prerequisite for a “democratic ferent sections of the population should be em- knowledge society”. braced and a variety of goals should be aimed at: A number of countries – such as Norway, Den- From participatory processes, the results of which mark, the United Kingdom and Switzerland – can be directly incorporated into parliamentary took this idea on board a long time ago and are and strategic policy work, to low-thres h old already using differing forms of social debate, methods that lay the groundwork and build not just to improve the relationship between the trust. In each case, the role and competence of two spheres, but also for research policy instru- the intermediary is crucial. Thus, low-threshold ments such as developing strategies or different dialogue methods require trained mediators (ex- forms of foresight assessment. plainers or scientists), while institutionalised In the case of Austria, the studies commissioned methods require an organisational unit with by the Austrian Council (Martos et al. 2008, political contacts and a corresponding portfolio. Koze luh 2008) highlighted the following problems: Doing More for People ❚ The lack of systematic coordination of possi- Strategy 2020 devoted considerable space to bilities for dialogue processes between science the subject of human resources under the head - and society ing “People” (see the chapter “What has been ❚ The lack of institutionalised coordination of ac com plished: Human Resources”). Pöchhacker research policy strategies with social reflection Inno vation Consulting was therefore commis - processes and a foresight assessment sioned to conduct the study “Strategic Approaches ❚ Inadequate public feedback from participative and Lines of Action to Strengthen Human Capi- processes that have already been carried out tal in Austria” with the aim of advancing and ❚ An emphasis upon traditional information and deepening the topic in terms of content. awareness-raising methods The analysis section of the study confirms and reinforces the findings underlying Strategy The Austrian Council consequently commis - 2020. It was found that if Austria is to make the sioned the Science Center Network to carry out transition into the group of innovation leaders, a study to explore the following questions: far-reaching measures will have to be taken 1. In which countries are dialogue and discursive in the area of education and research policy. processes between science and society using Demand for more highly-qualified workers will institutionalised procedures already systemati- continue to rise, especially in the sciences and cally coordinated and in what form? engineering (see fig. 3). 2. What form could such coordination take in If these developments are contrasted with Austria? Austria’s starting situation, it becomes clear that 3. Which low-threshold procedures exist that the qualification structure of the population, have the potential to intensify the relationship and in particular that of women, has steadily im- between science and society? proved in recent decades, but not to the extent 4. Which international experiences could be that would have been necessary. In particular, useful for Austria in this respect? children from those sections of society with The results of this study in brief: poor educational opportunities and those from To influence the relationship between science immigrant families too often fail to achieve and society in Austria, the dialogue should be greater educational success than their parents,
24 creating knowledge
primarily because of the early social selection in research, in particular by means of work expe- the Austrian education system. rience at schools As a consequence of this and other factors, ❚ improving permeability between teaching and Austria has too few young people entering research at universities and Fachhochschulen tertiary education and a disproportionately low ❚ Increase interest in the sciences and technol - percentage of university graduates compared ogy by means of to other OECD countries. ❚ early and targeted promotion of scientific Based on these findings, the study identified literacy among children the following strategic areas where action ❚ targeted measures to raise awareness and urgently needs to be taken: improve the qualifications of science and ❚ Reorganisation of the Austrian education technol ogy teachers system by ❚ general, interdisciplinary science tuition at ❚ increasing pre-school education and support schools for children from the age of 3 onward ❚ sharpening the focus of the many technology ❚ ending early segmentation at the age of 10 initiatives in Austria ❚ tapping the potential of children from immi- ❚ Strengthen the innovation base through grant families cooperation between science and industry by ❚ Improve the interface between education and ❚ increasing cooperation between science and research by industry ❚ increasing the proportion of high school ❚ supporting professional PhDs between graduates, students and university graduates science and industry ❚ professionalising educational and careers advice ❚ strengthening the role of Fachhochschulen as ❚ a continuous dialogue between education and research partners for industry >
100 %
21.7 % 25.0 % 30.0 % 34.6 % 80 %
Figure 3: 60 % 46.8 % Predicted change 47.6 % 48.0 % in the employment 48.2 % 40 % structure in the period up to 2020 broken down 20 % 31.6 % 26.6 % 22.0 % 17.2 % by qualifications, EU-25+ 0 % 2000 2007 2013 2020
High Qualification Medium Qualification Low Qualification
Source: CEDEFOP – European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training: Skill Needs in Europe – Focus on 2020 (IER, ROA, EC estimates), 2008, S. 17
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❚ Make the profession of a “scientist in Austria” ❚ Make Austria more attractive for highly quali- significantly more attractive by fied individuals from abroad by means of ❚ increasing the financial resources of univer - ❚ international awareness campaigns to position sities (target: 2 % of GDP) Austria ❚ making scientific careers more attractive ❚ targeted immigration of highly-qualified indi- ❚ easing access to Austria’s RTI system for top viduals from abroad international scientists
Employees Employees Annual in 2006 in 2012 Growth %
Classification 2 301,600 343,700 2.2 % Table 1:
Forecast growth Technical and scientific in demand graduate professions 89,300 110,200 3.6 %
for scientists Teachers in the tertiary, and engineers primary and secondary sectors 134,400 142,000 0.9 %
Other scientists 77,900 91,500 2.7 %
Source: WIFO Employment Forecast; “Unselbständige Beschäftigung, 2006 und 2012 nach Ausbildung“, Vienna 2008
Vienna University of Economics and Impact analyses employ a variety of methods and Business: Dissertation on the Impact techniques to identify the correlation between Analyses RTI policy measures or packages of measures There is increasing demand from the public, and their effects on a number of different levels. politicians and industry for plausible proof of Given the topics currently being dealt with by the effectiveness of political measures and pro- the Austrian Council, a focus on the impact of grammes in the research sector. Moreover, they R&D investments on employment suggested it- also want an assessment of the potential effects self. The following questions are therefore being even before such measures are implemented. investigated as part of dissertation project: In this context, questions concerning the im- ❚ Which impacts can be/are being measured? pacts of RTI policy measures on investments in ❚ Which impacts should be quantitatively and/or R&D, scientific and technological progress, inno- qualitatively measured? vative capability, technological competitiveness, ❚ What cannot be measured? economic growth and employment are of par- ❚ What methods are used in modern impact ticular importance. However, political objec - analyses? tives that may also involve issues such as sus - ❚ International comparison – how is the subject tainability, safety or cohesion are also gaining of impact assessments approached in other relevance. countries and how can the impact of R&D in In a partnership between the Austrian Council Austria be classified in comparison with other and the Vienna University of Economics and countries. Business represented by Prof. Weiss, a disserta- ❚ Which indicators point to economic effects? tion project was initiated to explore the topic of ❚ Which indicators point to positive effects on impact analysis in relation to research, develop- employment? ment and innovation. ❚ Which indicators are generally used?
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Research Infrastructure: The Basis ❚ Identifying strategic areas of action. for Innovation The study focused upon cutting-edge infrastruc- While sound data and analyses of areas such as tures and Austrian participation in large-scale in- human resources, research volumes and fund ing ternational research infrastructure facilities. are already available in Austria, there are only a small number of analyses concerning another International Trends – The importance of important parameter of the Austrian research research infrastructure as a key factor for a long- profile, namely research infrastructure. A solid term positioning on the European level has been database on research infrastructure could pro- recognised and much greater importance than vide important information for a better under- in the past attached to the topic of “research standing of the Austrian research sector and of- infrastructure” at both the pan-European level fer an important basis for targeted research, and in many EU member states. Long-term stra- technology and innovation policy measures. tegies and multi-year budgets have been laid The Austrian Council for Research and Technol - down for infrastructure development. ogy Development therefore commissioned the Where it makes strategic sense, access to cut- consultancy firm AUSTIN, Pock & Partners to ting-edge research is being promoted via par - examine the topic of research infrastructure ticipating interests in transnational infrastruc- from a variety of different perspectives. The ture facilities or partnerships. However, support emphasis was upon is also given to the development, expansion and ❚ A review of existing research infrastructure networking of large-scale research infrastructure and large-scale planning/needs and upon in the individual countries. Instead of creating >
27 creating knowledge
several small-scale research infrastructure faci- is not always possible to utilise the full scienti- lities, the trend is moving toward the creation fic and economic potential. of national hubs with large-scale research infra- All too often, research infrastructure is not used structure for cutting-edge science. In terms of as a strategic instrument to position Austria the key thematic areas, there is a shift away either thematically or strategically. Frequently, from the watering can principle toward a con- discussions about providing the necessary basic centration on areas that are of sufficient stra - infrastructure overshadow the opportunities tegic importance and a focus on the topics of that could arise from the professional establish- the future. ment and operation of larger (internationally visible) research infrastructures. Current Situation in Austria – While Austria has A first review of research infrastructure in Austria a perfectly acceptable number of research infra- carried out as part of the study produced the structure facilities, it is so far underrepresented following results: in terms of large-scale research infrastructure, ❚ 739 existing research infrastructures, of i.e. infrastructure with a certain degree of inter- which national importance. ❚ 204 items of large equipment/large-scale Inter-organisational partnerships are only rarely facilities formed with a view to acquiring and operating ❚ 200 core facilities (single sited or integrated research infrastructure facilities. As a result, it systems of distributed facilities)
28 creating knowledge
❚ 65 collections and habitats, including electro- internationally-acknowledged scientific excel- nic databases lence. In this context, research infrastructure ❚ 126 other infrastructures constitutes a wise, long-term investment in the ❚ 144 building infrastructures future. ❚ 189 external (inter)national research infra- Research infrastructures must be seen as an structures that are in use and important factor for Austria’s long-term posi - ❚ 233 needed/planned research infrastructures. tioning as a European research location. Their development therefore requires long-term On the basis of this data, 57 % of all identified strategies and multi-year budgets. research infrastructures can be categorised as Where it makes strategic sense, access to cut- belonging to the universities. The thematic areas ting-edge research must be promoted via par - “life sciences”, “nano- and materials sciences” as ticipating interests in transnational infrastruc - well as “environment, energy and sustainability” ture facilities or partnerships. Above and beyond account for more than half of all the research in- this, the development, expansion and network - frastructures named in the study. The regional ing of large-scale research infrastructures in distribution of the research infrastructures Austria must be supported. Instead of creating reflects demographic conditions, and points to several small-scale research infrastructure university and industrial locations (with a par- facilities, the trend should be moving toward ticular concentration in Vienna, Graz and Inns- the creation of national hubs with large-scale bruck, as well as Salzburg and Leoben). infrastructures for cutting-edge science. In 62 % of the aforementioned existing research terms of the key thematic areas, the trend is infrastructures was acquired or taken into toward areas that are of sufficient strategic im- operation during the past five years, whereby portance for Austria and a focus on the topics more than half had acquisition costs in excess of the future. Redundant acquisitions are to be of EUR 500,000. Almost half the acquisition avoided, profile building the logical conse - costs of research infrastructure are predomi- quence. Care must also be taken to ensure a nantly (80 to 100 %) publicly funded. The same balance between research infrastructures for applies to the public funding of operating costs. basic research and applied research. Both the The majority of those scientists who use re- scientific relevance and the ratio of projects to search infrastructures belong to the organisa tion infrastructure are important. that operates the infrastructure. Approximately However, this requires an adequate level of two thirds of the aforementioned infrastruc tures core public funding for start-ups, and where are used more than 75 % of the time by scientists necessary, for the further development and based at the organisation housing the equipment. maintenance of research infrastructure. Separ - ate cost estimate and invoicing cycles for the Strategic Areas of Action – Research infrastruc- infrastructure and project level or for one-off tures should be regarded and used as a means costs, overhead costs and project costs, will of creating long-term structures – both for basic produce greater cost-transparency, making the research and applied research and development. investment easier to calculate for the public There must be awareness in the public sector sector. that research infrastructure projects initially The development of a business plan, including require high levels of investment. a comparison of total expenditures with usage Ideally, a cluster comprising organisations from and project revenues, encourages long-term science and industry, renowned researchers and planning with the corresponding financing ambitious projects should grow up around lar- security. ge-scale research infrastructure. With regard to Partial financing through usage and project re- research content, the goal should be to achieve venues, and the associated provision of research >
29 creating knowledge
services not only enhances financing possibili- cooperation with partners from science and ties but also openness, and encourages partner- industry contributes to raising international ships and the active marketing of research infra- visibility. In this way, research infrastructure structures. This in turn makes them accessible can act as a beacon for Austria as a centre of for new user groups. National and international science and research.
30 e v e n t s
All knowledge-based societies are based on communication and the exchange of information. It is all the more important to remember this when setting key strategic targets for the future.
31 e v e n t s
Evaluation: From Understanding to to the methods used and the results. However, Implementation – as the international CREST Report notes, an Workshop on 23 March 2009 evaluation alone is of little use if the results do Especially in times of stagnating or shrinking not lead to improvements in the system. Con - budgets and a global economic crisis, the import - sequently, greater emphasis must be given to ance of, and need for, evaluations are beyond the implementation of results. dispute. The Austrian research, development The Austrian Council and the Platform FTeval and innovation system is strongly committed to therefore organised a workshop under the motto evaluation. The Evaluation of Austrian Research “Evaluated – what next?” to which international and Technology Policies published jointly by experts were invited. The aim of the workshop, the Austrian Council and the Platform FTeval in which was held in March 2009, was to seek answers 2007, provides details of more than 60 RTI to the following questions: How can the results evaluations for the years 2003 to 2007 with the of evaluations be incorporated into research aim of improving transparency both with regard policy and the use of public funds in order to
32 e v e n t s
achieve an improvement? What is the role of evalu - Research and Technology Development, this ations as a learning instrument in the governance year’s meeting of the European research councils system? Which factors can guarantee that evalu - took place in Vienna on 14 and 15 May 2009. ation results are implemented more effectively? This annual meeting of the RTI advisory bodies from the various EU countries provides a forum The opening address was given by Prof. Donnelly, where they can discuss joint initiatives and stra- currently a member of the Austrian Council. tegies. Almost every European country has a Other speakers included Prof. Cunningham, body similar to the Austrian Council. In recogni- Chief Scientific Advisor to the Irish Government, tion of the current strategy development pro- Martin Weber, European Audit Office, and cess, the topic of this year’s meeting was “The De - Michael Dinges from Joanneum Research. The velopment of Long-Term Innovation Strategies.” event was rounded off by a panel discussion with The official part of the meeting was opened by various representatives of the national stake - Minister Johannes Hahn personally. 30 partici- holders and with active audience participation. pants from 15 EU countries (including France, the UK, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Ger - FameLab 2009: MicroRNA on the Stage – many, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, on 4 April 2009 Greece, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia) had As in previous years, the Austrian Council in come to Vienna for the meeting. The keynote 2009 again supported the FameLab talent contest speaker, Prof. Zaneta Ozolina, head of the Insti- developed by the British Council. The competi- tute of Political Science at the University of tion, which has been held simultaneously in ten Latvia, who is also a representative of the Euro- European nations since 2007, gives young scien- pean Research Area Board, gave an insight into tists an opportunity to present a topic from their current developments and the future perspec- research area in an exciting and informative way tives of the European Research Area. in just a few minutes. Rhetorical and presenta - As well as insights into national RTI policy tion skills are of the essence, as in order to prove developments and projects, topics of discussion themselves to the jury, candidates have to be focused on the various strategies and measures able to talk about their research area in a way adopted by the different countries in an effort that is entertaining, scientifically accurate but to combat the economic crisis. The main empha - also engaging to a non-scientific audience with - sis, of course, was upon the contribution that re- out the use of complicated speaking aids. search and innovation can make to stimulating The winner of the competition in 2009 was the economy. Many countries reported that they Lucia Aronica, a PhD student at the Institute of are increasing their investments in research and Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Acade- development during the crisis to ensure they my of Sciences at the Campus Vienna Biocenter, have a head start once the recovery sets in. Over- who impressed the audience with her presenta- all, the meeting served as an important source tion “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” about RNA inter- for suggestions and input for the Austrian ference. RNA interference is a natural mecha- Council as it formulated its Strategy 2020. nism of gene regulation in plants, animals and humans, i.e. as well as genes it is micro RNAs Symposium – RTI Strategies in an that determine our individual characteristics. International Comparison – 15 May 2009 On the occasion of the international meeting of the Research and Innovation as Ways out national councils in May 2009, the Austrian of the Crisis – International Meeting of Council organised an international symposium on the National Councils in Vienna on 14 and “RTI Strategies in an International Comparison.” 15 May 2009 The aim of the symposium was to analyse and At the invitation of the Austrian Council for discuss the importance of strategic frameworks >
33 e v e n t s
for RTI policy in the various European coun- development of national RTI strategies, their tries. In addition to this, the cornerstones of importance for individual RTI systems and their the development processes of national RTI stra- implementation within the respective political tegies as well as possibilities for their im - contexts. The discussion centred upon ex- plementation were examined. The insights that periences with the development of RTI policy were gained from the symposium also pro vided strategies and the prerequisites for the sustain - input for the Austrian Council’s Strategy 2020 able implementation of the proposed measures. document. The contributions to the discussion showed that One important result of the symposium was the debates regarding the necessity of RTI strategies recognition that the area of human resources is have been gaining international momentum in accorded high priority in all countries. How - recent years. National RTI-relevant policies and ever, despite this and other areas of agreement, specific science and innovation strategies have for instance with regard to the grand challenges become an essential feature in most OECD and research themes, the individual countries countries. have adopted a wide variety of approaches and For that reason, governance structures, which different policy models. It became clear that a in the final analysis are what constitute a national RTI strategy has to be specifically successful RTI system, were also discussed. RTI geared to the development level and needs of governance is not just about politics, but also the respective scientific community. about the interplay between the various actors Panellists included Dr. Knut Consemüller, the who together define strategies, goals and Chairman of the Austrian Council for Research priorities for an effective and functioning RTI and Technology Development, Prof. Dimitris system. Nanopoulus, Chairman of the National Council Speakers at the working group included Knut for Research and Technology, Greece, Dr. Gerard Consemüller, Chairman of the Austrian Council Coutin, General Secretary of the Conseil Supé- for Research and Technology Development, rieur de la Recherche et de la Technologie in Karin Kjaer Madsen, General Secretary of the France, and Dr. Carlo Duprel, Programme Mana- Centre for Research Policy of the Danish Agency ger of the Fonds National de la Recherche in for Science, Technology and Innovation, Antti Luxembourg. The welcome address was given by Eskola, economic advisor at the Innovation Dr. Ludovit Garzik, the Secretary General of the Department of the Finnish Ministry for Employ- Austrian Council for Research and Technology ment and Economic Affairs, Dervilla Donnelly, Development, who also acted as the moderator. Chair of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Besides the delegates from the international Studies, Andrzej Jelenski, Member of the Polish meeting of the national councils, forty selected Science Council and Sabine Herlitschka, head of stakeholders also took part in the symposium. the European and International Programmes division at the Austrian Research Promotion Alpbach Technology Forum 2009: Agency. The working group was opened by Working Group “An International Ludovit Garzik, Secretary General of the Austrian Comparison of Research, Technology Council for Research and Technology Develop- and Innovation Policy (RTI) Strate- ment, and led and moderated by Hannes Leo, an gies” – 28 August 2009 economist and business consultant in Vienna. As part of the Alpbach Technology Forum 2009, the Austrian Council organised a working group Visitors from Thailand – on “An International Comparison of Research, 16 September 2009 Technology and Innovation Policy (RTI) Stra - The main topic of discussion when a delegation tegies.” from Thailand visited the Austrian Council on The focus of the working group was upon the 16 September 2009 was the strategic advisory
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process which is used to develop bases for 2020 on 17 September 2009 at the Vienna decision-making in Austria. Strategy 2020 is an Knowledge Space. Under the title “Research excellent example of this. Strategy Goes Public” the Austrian Council for Preparations for the visit were made together Research and Technology Development pre - with the Electrical and Electronics Institute in sented and discussed its proposals and recom- Bangkok, represented by Ms. Duangduan Chat- mendations for the Austrian research system tiptadathorn. The delegation itself was made up and discussed individual questions with an of representatives of the Ministry of Industry interested public. (Mr. Arthit Wuthikaro, Mr. Nat Chulkaratana, The Vienna Knowledge Space, within the frame- Mr. Itichai Patamasiriwat and Ms. Piengjai Chai- work of which the event was held, is a plat- rungsinun) and of the Electrical and Electronics form for the communication of science in the Institute in Bangkok (Mr. Charuek Hengrasmee public space. From May to October 2009 it was and Mr. Kiattiporn Wangpattarapong). situated in Resselpark, in front of the main entrance to the Vienna University of Technol- Vienna Knowledge Space: ogy, and was open to all members of the public; “Research Strategy Goes Public” – participation in the discussion was free of 17 September 2009 charge. Members of the Austrian Council and As the closing event of the online discussion secretariat staff were available to talk to the project, the Austrian Council organised an un- many passers-by and visitors who stopped to conventional public presentation of its Strategy engage in discussion. >
Delegation from Thailand and representatives of the Austrian Council
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Visitors from Vietnam – 2 October 2009 the meeting of the secretariats in Bonn was On 2 October 2009 the Austrian Council wel- Thomas Schröder from the German Ministry of comed a delegation from Vietnam made up of Education and Research, who gave an account of representatives of the Vietnamese National his ministry’s internationalisation strategy in the Council for Science and Technology Policy light of the general trend toward globalisation. (NCSTP), including its chairman, Prof. Do Trung As always, the central topic at the meeting of the Ta, and Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Huong representing secretariat representatives, was the subject of the Embassy of the Socialist Republic of Viet - and venue for the next meeting of the councils. nam. The stimulating discussions centred on This will take place in late spring 2010 in Belgium the Austrian innovation system, the role of the and, at the suggestion of Belgium and Austria, Austrian Council and Strategy 2020. the main topic will be a transnational consider - ation of large-scale research infrastructures and Focus on Research Infrastructures – the related national and international strategic International Meeting of the Secretariats of timetables and measures. Close cooperation will the National Research Councils be needed here if Europe is to hold its own in Bonn on 13 October 2009 the global competition between large research On 13 October 2009 the meeting of the secre - nations. The joint financing and use of large- tariats of the European research councils met in scale infrastructures and the coordination of the Bonn at the invitation of the German Council of relevant national roadmaps was considered Science and Humanities. The guest speaker at particularly worthy of discussion. Possible points
Delegation from Vietnam and members of the secretariat staff
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that might be dealt with are: The development (up from 375 in 2008) in Dornbirn, Graz, Inns- of joint financing processes, cooperation with bruck, Krems and Tulln, Linz, Salzburg and Vien- the European Commission, the presentation of na, and attracted 366,000 visitors. More than common forms of financing for acquisition and 2,000 scientists demonstrated their work and maintenance as well as the selection of best prac- research achievements. This is a new record tices, and the identification of suitable rules for and makes the Long Night 2009 the biggest use including the distribution of overhead costs. event for the communication of research and This requires a close exchange of information innovation ever held in Austria. among as many of the involved states as possible, The initiative is sponsored by the Austrian something that makes this topic especially rel - Council for Research and Technology Develop- evant for a meeting of international councils. It ment and the three ministries, BMVIT, BMWF was agreed that the result of the meeting of the and BMWFJ. The Chairman of the Austrian national councils should either be specific re- Council, Knut Consemüller, and the ministers commendations to the national governments or Johannes Hahn and Doris Bures visited many of a press statement addressing them. the stations at the Long Night and were both impressed and enthusiastic about what they saw. Long Night of Research – The aim of the Long Night in 2009 was once 7 November 2009 again to sharpen the awareness of the Austrian The third Long Night of Research, which took public and industry for the importance of place on 7 November 2009, featured 570 stations science and research, as in today’s knowledge- >
Long Night of Research from left to right: the Vice President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Jalkotzy- Deger, the Secretary General of the Acade- my Suppan, Minister Hahn, the President of the Academy Denk, Chairman of the Austrian Council Consemüller
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based society, research, technology and inno va - With more than 15,000 visitors, the Long Night tion are becoming ever more important. Unfor- of Research 2005 was the biggest, and in terms tunately, however, the public perception of this of visitor and exhibitor response, also the most importance still lags behind reality. Despite all successful flagship project in the “Innovatives efforts, Austrian attitudes to innovation, science Österreich” campaign. Against the background and researchers are still comparatively negative. of this success, the Austrian Council in March According to an international comparison car- 2007 recommended the continuation of the pro- ried out by the German Institute for Economic gramme, and in particular, the repetition of the Research (DIW), Austria actually has the most Long Night of Research. Unfortunately, it was negative attitudes of all the countries surveyed. not possible at that time to convince the respon - This is despite the fact that a whole series of sible ministries to continue “Innovatives Öster- awareness-raising initiatives have been, and are reich.” It is therefore all the more pleasing that being, implemented. It has become apparent it has at least been possible to revive the light- that these many initiatives, sponsored by a wide house project Long Night of Research. range of actors, must be coordinated to achieve The research landscape needs continuity and a focused joint approach. This was also the consistency, also in terms of awareness measures. background to the “Innovatives Österreich” It is therefore essential that the continuation of campaign, which was funded with EUR 12 mil- the Long Night of Research in its customary lion and which ran from 2004 and 2006 fol - quality is safeguarded, not just financially, but lowing an Austrian Council recommendation. also structurally and organisationally. As a “Innovatives Österreich” succeeded in bringing co-founder of this project, which has gained together the fragmented system of research recognition throughout Europe, the Austrian policy awareness measures and giving it a single Council will continue to provide the Long Night profile in the form of a common brand. of Research with its full support in future.
38 the austrian council
As the independent advisory body to the federal government, the Austrian Council has been tasked with defining milestones for Austrian RTI policy.
39 the austrian council
Review 2009: A Year Dominated by Strategy 2020
The year 2009 was dominated by Strategy 2020. government strategy for RTI just one week later. During the first six months of the year, the in - This coincides with the drafting of a research itial drafts were drawn up in closed conferences financing law that should finally give the indivi- and workshops, and then discussed with the dual players in the research sector the long-term stakeholders and interested members of the re- reliability they have desired for so long in terms search community. The acute financial and of budget funds. This is an area that must be ad- Ludovit Garzik economic crisis provided additional impetus for dressed, especially after the difficult budget pre- Head of the Secretariat reform, making it possible to call into question parations at the start of the year. While during some of the research sector’s sacred cows – in the last few months of the year, the Austrian keeping with the Greek meaning of the word Council devoted itself to deepening Strategy crisis: “decision”. Many decisions had to be taken 2020 in specific areas, such as indirect research by the Austrian Council to enable the finished funding, but also human resources, Dr. Gadner strategy document to go into print in summer. from the secretariat was seconded to the Federal The presentation of the strategy at the end of Chancellery in order to contribute his expertise August and its subsequent handing over to mem- to the strategy process there; a high honour that bers of the government in Alpbach attracted also recognises the work he has carried out for widespread media coverage. The various chap- the Austrian Council in this regard. ters of Strategy 2020 were discussed in many in- In 2009 the Austrian Council was thus able to dividual discussions and their short to medium- complete the strategic groundwork, which will term feasibility examined. On this basis, the form the basis for further discussions over the cabinet started work on the development of a next few years.
Outlook 2010: Where is the Strategic Process Leading?
“Everything will be better” – this election pro - the pain will be when the necessary changes mise is only rarely fulfilled, but the government’s are finally made. The system does not need strategy process holds out the promise of a radical reforms, but calculable and continuous number of politically binding choices. Never adjustment so that Austria can keep pace with its have we had a greater opportunity to reshape international partners and assume the desired the Austrian research landscape by means of a leadership role. broad discussion process. The ministries will The Austrian Council had and has a duty to get work through the content in five working across unpleasant messages and communicate groups, discussing it with the relevant actors them to policymakers by means of recom - before finally verifying its plausibility together mendations. In this connection, it is of the with international experts. The results will then utmost importance to preserve the Austrian have to be given a binding timeframe in order to Council’s independence during the transition to give the institutions the planning certainty that the next term in office. In the ten years of the they themselves have always called for. Austrian Council’s existence, it has also become There must and will be losers in this process. apparent that there is room for improvement in Conditions are changing and Austria has failed to this regard, an issue which will have to be respond adequately to this in recent years. The addressed when the new council takes office in longer this state of affairs continues, the greater September 2010.
40 the austrian council
Secretariat
New to the Team: Johannes Gadner: Anton Graschopf: Following completion of the Austrian Council’s Anton Graschopf is standing in for Johannes Strategy 2020 that he had coordinated, Johannes Gadner during his secondment to the Federal Gadner was invited to accompany the develop- Chan cellery, especially in the areas of energy re- ment of the federal RTI strategy at an RTI secre- search and research for sustainable development, tariat at the Federal Chancellery especially set up and as the expert for basic research, international for this purpose. Given his experience in deve- matters, biotechnology and life sciences. loping the structure and content of the Austrian Ákos Kászoni: Council’s Strategy 2020, the steering group for Ákos Kászoni joined the secretariat team as a the federal RTI strategy approached the Austrian part time member of staff in March 2010 within Council with a request to utilise Mr. Gadner’s the framework of a partnership with the Vienna experience for their own process. For the dur - University of Economics and Business and will ation of this secondment, which will last for provide support in the areas of impact analysis, eight months, Mr. Gadner will not be bound by the collection and evaluation of R&D data and directives from the Austrian Council. macroeconomic monitoring. Gerhard Reitschuler: Public Relations Work: Press Review Gerhard Reitschuler symbolises the Austrian In the fulfilment of its legal mandate, the Austrian Council’s increased focus on economic topics in Council uses a variety of public relations instru- connection with research and development in ments. In the year under review, the Austrian future. The earlier focus of his scientific work at Council published eight press releases, which the National Bank and the Federal Environment can also be viewed on the Austrian Council Agency as well as his teaching activities at the website at www.rat-fte.at, and held three press University of Innsbruck and the Fachhoch schule conferences on the topics “research budget,” Wiener Neustadt means that he will contribute “Strategy 2020” and “human resources.” broad-ranging macroeconomic expertise. In addition to this press relations work, there Walter Schneider: were a number of media collaborations with a The extensive experience Walter Schneider has variety of partners designed to reach a wider gathered during his career at university and audience beyond the narrow specialist non-university research institutes enabled him to com munity. Members of the Austrian Council prevail against strong competition at the hearing and secretariat staff also produced a host of in November 2009. He commenced work at the guest articles and took part in lectures and secretariat at the beginning of 2010. discussions.
41 the austrian council
Constitution The Austrian Council for Research and Techno- logy Development became a legal entity under pu- blic law on 1 September 2004 following an amendment of the Research and Technology Fun- ding Act. It consists of eight members with vo- ting rights, four of whom are appointed by the Mi- Knut Consemüller Günther Bonn Dervilla Donnelly Albert Hochleitner nister for Science and Research and four by the Chairman of the Austrian Deputy Chairman of the Dervilla Donnelly was born in The former CEO of Siemens AG Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technolo- Council Austrian Council Dublin and studied chemistry Austria studied physics at the gy. Four members of the Government serve on Knut Consemüller was born Günther Bonn studied chemistry at the University of Ireland. Vienna University of Technology. the Council in an advisory capacity. The members in Dortmund, Germany, and at the University of Innsbruck. In the mid-1980s she was In 1965 he joined Wiener of the Austrian Council with voting rights are ap- studied ferrous metallurgy Following several research fel- appointed professor of photo- Schwachstromwerken where he pointed for a five year term of office and may be and economics. In 1991 he lowships in the USA, including chemistry. Donnelly was a soon took over the software reappointed for one further period. was appointed to the manage- one at Yale, he was appointed to member and vice president of development department. In ment board of the Böhler- a full professorship at the Uni- the executive council of the 1992 he was appointed to the Uddeholm group with re - versity of Linz. Since 1995 he European Science Foundation Management Board of the sponsibility for research and has held the chair for Analytical and the European Science and Group and became its Chairman development. From 1976 to Chemistry and Radiochemistry Technology Association in 1994. Albert Hochleitner has 1984 he was a member of the at the University of Innsbruck. (ESTA). She is also the chair- served as an expert on the German technology advisory Until 2003 Bonn was a member person of the Dublin Institute industry-related aspects of board. of the FWF where he worked as for Advanced Studies. research and technology policy a department head. He is cur- for several years now. rently a member of the Univer - sity Council at the Medical University of Innsbruck.
Reinhard Petschacher Hans Schönegger Jürgen Stockmar Gabriele Zuna-Kratky Advisory Members After studying communications Hans Schönegger studied Jürgen Stockmar was born in In the late 1980s Gabriele Zuna- engineering at the Vienna Uni- business administration and Germany and after obtaining Kratky worked at the media Doris Bures versity of Technology, Reinhard business education at the his degree in mechanical en - department of the Ministry for Minister of Transport, Petschacher worked on optical University of Innsbruck. In gineering worked for Audi and Education and Art. In October Innovation and Technology systems for Daimler-Benz in Ulm 1995 he joined the Carinthian then Steyr-Daimler-Puch, where 1997 she was appointed director Johannes Hahn before moving to the Siemens’ Economic Promotion Fund he was appointed to the man - of the Österreichische Phono- Minister of Science and micro-electronic development (KWF) as head of the funding agement board with responsi- thek. On 1 January 2000 she Research (until the end of 2009) centre in Villach in 1980. He department, and was appointed bility for research and develop- became the first female director Beatrix Karl subsequently took over the to the management board in ment in 1985. After serving of a technical museum, the Minister of Science and management of telecommuni - 1998. Hans Schönegger has on the management board of Technisches Museum in Vienna. Research (from the beginning of 2010) cations components develop- been managing director of Audi AG, he returned to Steyr- She is also a member of the Reinhold Mitterlehner ment at the plants in Villach and Kärntner Betriebsansiede- Daimler-Puch in 1990. In 1998 University Council of the Vienna Munich. Reinhard Petschacher lungs- und BeteiligungsgmbH he assumed responsibility for University of Technology, a Minister of Economic Affairs, Family and Youth is head of development at the since 1998 and since 2002 global development and trustee of the Deutsches Museum Automotive, Industrial and has been responsible for the technology activities at Magna. Munich and of the Berlin Josef Pröll Multimarket division of Infineon Lakeside Park Project. He also teaches at the Vienna Museum of Technology. Vice Chancellor and Technologies AG. University of Technology. Minister of Finance
42 the austrian council
Secretariat The secretariat supports the Austrian Council both in terms of organisation and content, in particular with regard to pre - paring and organising the meetings of the Austrian Council and working groups, and in respect of communication both within the Council and external- Ludovit Garzik Constanze Johannes Gadner, Anton Graschopf Fredy Jäger ly. Day-to-day operations of the Head of the secretariat, Stockhammer Monitoring and support for Temporary replacement Collection, processing Austrian Council are financed responsible for the manage- Deputy head of the secretariat, the development of strategic for Dr. Gadner and and analysis of statistical by the Ministry for Transport, ment and coordination of business-orientated research, processes with a long-term Dr. Stockhammer, who is data and facts for strategy Innovation and Technology. the secretariat’s activities and indirect research promotion, focus (e.g. Strategy for Excel- on maternity leave development The head of the secretariat, external representation start-up and growth financing, lence, Strategy 2020), pre- [email protected] [email protected] deputy head of the secretariat [email protected] SME and innovation funding, competitive and business- and members of staff (in cooperation between federal related research, cooperation alphabetical order): government and the provinces, between science and industry, research infrastructure, nano- non-university research, technologies, information and energy research and sustain - communications technologies, able development mobility and transport [email protected] In 2009, Ms. Michaela [email protected] Topolnik and Silvo Korez two seasoned members of staff left the secretariat. We wish them both much success Margit Kamper as they take up their new Personal assistant to the responsibilities. Chairman of the Austrian Peter Lindner carried out Council, back office the duties of Ms. Topolnik from [email protected] May to December 2009 and started to develop the area of macroeconomics before moving to the National Bank at the end of the year.
Ákos Kászoni Gerhard Reitschuler Margarete Rohrhofer Bettina Ruttensteiner- Walter Schneider (Cooperation with the Vienna Collection and processing Accounting, personnel and Poller Basic and pre-competitive University of Economics and of R&D data, macroeconomic office management Science/RTI and society, research, agricultural Business) development and trends, [email protected] human resources, humanities, sciences, security research, Impact analysis, collection output/impact (indicators), social and cultural sciences, international research and evaluation of R&D data, modelling and simulation, advancement of women and cooperation, EU research and macroeconomic monitoring technology flow analysis, gender mainstreaming, ethics innovation policy, especially [email protected] innovative procurement in research, public relations EU Framework Programmes [email protected] work and administrative for RTD, ERA-Net support [email protected] [email protected]
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Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology (Supervisory Responsibility for the Austrian Council) A-1030 Vienna, Radetzkystraße 2 Tel.: +43/1/711 62-0 www.bmvit.gv.at
Ministry of Finance A-1030 Vienna, Hintere Zollamtsstraße 2b Tel.: +43/1/514 33-0 www.bmf.gv.at
Ministry of Science and Research A-1014 Vienna, Minoritenplatz 5 Tel.: +43/1/531 20-0 www.bmwf.gv.at
Ministry of Economic Affairs, Family and Youth A-1011 Vienna, Stubenring 1 Tel.: +43/1/711 00-0 www.bmwfj.gv.at
Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development Secretariat A-1010 Vienna, Pestalozzigasse 4/D1 Tel.: +43/1/713 14 14-0 Fax: +43/1/713 14 14-99 [email protected] www.rat-fte.at
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