01.06.2022

RTI Policy Missions in Austria

WIFO Research Brief on Funding of Research, Technology and Innovation

Public research funding in Austria is very high compared to other countries, but it has so far concentrated strongly on a bottom-up approach, whereby research funding is allocated purely on quality grounds irrespective of the area or field of research. Research funding to support specific issues or to solve societal problems has traditionally been low.

There are also hardly any examples of mission-oriented budgeting that would set concrete performance targets within a certain time frame. The missions already being implemented at the EU level will therefore introduce new aspects into the Austrian research funding system, which will come in addition to the significant increase in public funding for programmes, targeting special issues (e.g. climate, energy), which are already evident from the latest budget data.