ARF - (Digital) Research Infrastructures

Within the EU-funded NextGenerationEU initiative, Austrian universities are provided with a grant program that promotes the expansion and modernization of (digital) research infrastructures. The goal is to establish or expand innovative facilities such as high-performance computers, cloud, and quantum computing platforms to address complex research questions and open up new fields of study. This equipment serves not only excellent research but also research-led teaching and the training of young scientists. Furthermore, the program supports knowledge transfer to society and contributes to the profile development of universities as well as to managing the digital transformation across all scientific disciplines.

All Austrian universities in accordance with § 6 para. 1 of the University Act 2002 are eligible to apply. Submissions are possible on an ongoing basis until the total volume of 30 million euros is exhausted. The funding is characterized by its broad impact in the areas of research & innovation, science, digitization, as well as education and training, and contributes to anchoring Austria among the international top tier. Through the cooperative use of new and existing infrastructure components, competitiveness in national and international consortia is strengthened. The integration of these infrastructure projects into the performance agreements with the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research ensures the strategic embedding of digital research strategies and promises a sustainable effect for the domestic innovation location.