Josef Ressel Centers

Josef Ressel Centers offer nationwide, long-term grant funding in Austria to intensify R&D cooperation between research-experienced universities of applied sciences and business partners. Over a period of up to 60 months, universities of applied sciences are strengthened as regional partners to expand their competence in applied research and sustainably improve the quality of FH education. The goal is to promote product- and process-related innovations, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises, through direct access to research resources, thereby increasing the innovative capacity of the Austrian economy. The collaboration follows a bottom-up approach within compact research groups and is subject to strict scientific quality control by external reviewers in the advisory board and the senate of the Christian Doppler Research Association (CDG). Applications can be submitted continuously and, upon submission of all documents, are processed at one of the two annual meetings of the JR Senate.

Eligible for funding are research-experienced universities of applied sciences as project sponsors in cooperation with companies from all sectors, especially SMEs, as well as scientific staff and researchers. Requirements include an English-language scientific proposal, a positive external review, and qualitative evaluation. For application submission, among other documents, a company documentation package (membership application, annual report, declaration of participation, SME proof if applicable), the university of applied sciences’ declaration of consent, an application for seed funding, the master data sheet, and a list of excluded reviewers are required. Scientific performance monitoring takes place within a biennial evaluation, accompanied by annual reports and financial audits by the CDG and external auditors. No application fees are charged, and the volume of funding is not limited in advance.