Finding Research Funding in Austria

Good research requires not only a strong idea but also the right resources. Science funding in Austria can help you finance personnel, infrastructure, data management, or pilot projects – turning an initiative into a viable project. Especially since calls for proposals are often competitive and have fixed deadlines, it pays to plan early and consider the funding logic from the outset.

In Austria, the current funding focus is strongly on impact-oriented research and societal transformations: climate and energy, mobility, circular economy, digitization, and key technologies such as AI or quantum, as well as health and life sciences and security and resilience topics. At the same time, formats at the science–society interface are gaining importance – for example, citizen science, open science, and responsible research & innovation. If your project collaborates with NGOs, public institutions, startups, or SMEs, transfer and innovation funding is also relevant, supporting prototypes, demonstrators, or spin-offs.

Which funding is suitable depends heavily on the goal, maturity level, and consortium: fundamental research projects find different programs than application-oriented initiatives with partners from industry and practice. It is important to clearly formulate impact and target groups, carefully plan roles and data/IP rules, and consider topics such as FAIR data, ethics, and GDPR early on.

The Reflecta Funding Compass supports you in finding suitable programs and calls, comparing funding criteria, and preparing your application in a structured way. This way, you move faster from idea to submission – with a setup that truly convinces funders.