With the FWF Annual Report, we not only offer you an insight into the past funding year, but also invite you to look back on some special moments in research. Read it to find out more about key funding metrics and statistics. In total, the FWF invested around €400 million in its funding programs in 2024.
When the federal government invests in basic research, the stimulating effects for the economy and society work faster and are more extensive than previously assumed: This is the key message of a study published in November 2024 by the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO), the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS), and Joanneum Research. “Funding the FWF generates a double dividend. It provides short-term stimulus for the economy while also laying the foundations for a long-term acceleration in structural growth,” said WIFO Director Gabriel Felbermayr at the joint press conference with the authors of the study.
One thing is clear: Every euro invested in research is returned several times over. Although that’s not a declared goal of FWF-funded research, investments in research pay off faster and have a wider impact than initially anticipated. Researchers at universities and non-university research institutions make cutting-edge innovations possible, for example through high-quality patents, product improvements, and start-ups – similar effects have also been documented for other basic research funding agencies such as the European Research Council (ERC). Not only that, the pool of highly qualified researchers who not only work in science itself, but also contribute their expertise to the economy and society, is growing. Based on numerous examples of successful projects, the study impressively illustrates how findings from basic research find their way into society. These include spin-offs such as ParityQC from quantum research, Proxygen from biomedical research, and the archaeology park surrounding the excavations in Elea-Velia, Italy, which is now a major tourist attraction. Find out more about the results of the impact study here.
In 2024, the FWF successfully launched additional Clusters of Excellence and the first Emerging Fields projects as part of the excellent=austria initiative. So far, a total of nine Clusters of Excellence and five Emerging Fields, involving hundreds of people throughout the country, have been established and will be providing an innovation boost for basic research in Austria. The FWF and the participating research institutions have earmarked an investment volume of almost €260 million for the Clusters of Excellence for the first five years (from 2023/2024) of the planned ten-year term. The first five Emerging Fields consortia will receive a total of €31 million in funding over the next five years (starting in 2024).
With the FWF ASTRA Awards launched last year, the FWF is setting new standards in career funding. The ASTRA Awards were created to help advanced postdocs in Austria make the leap to the top of their research field. The aim is to attract particularly talented researchers in international competition and retain them at Austria’s research institutions.
The FWF is also completing the reform of its funding portfolio with the merger of the two programs Research Groups and Special Research Areas. Starting in the summer of 2025, the new Specialized Research Groups funding program will be offering large-scale research networks more flexible opportunities than before.
A look at the funding statistics for 2024 shows a further increase in funding volume to almost €410 million – a positive development for Austria as a research and innovation location. We would like to thank everyone who has made this growth possible: political decision-makers, thousands of reviewers, committee and jury members, and the entire FWF team – and not least all the researchers who prove their scientific excellence in international competition. Their diverse insights are what we need to face the social challenges of our time. As the FWF Executive Board, we will continue to ork together with the entire FWF staff to create attractive conditions for excellent top-level research in Austria.
The Executive Board of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
Research attracts a great deal of public attention, often far beyond its specialist circles. The challenges posed by the pandemic, the pressing issues of the climate crisis, and the development of new medical treatments have made scientific knowledge highly visible.
Science has taken up a key role in society – increasingly as a bone of contention. This phenomenon is more pronounced than before the coronavirus pandemic. One reason for this may be that new findings cause scientific positions to change, which can be unsettling. In times of global crises, people have a growing need for immovable certainties. But this is a promise science cannot make. Its most valuable aspects are the constant search for new and improved knowledge and its willingness to correct errors. It was once an accepted belief that the sun revolved around the earth, but today we know better. Science is an open, dynamic system of curiosity and learning. That is its strength.
Critically questioning your own point of view and substantiating it with arguments can be a long and laborious process, as researchers in basic research know only too well. It is precisely because they break new ground and are prepared to revise their hypotheses when necessary that they advance scientific progress – in FWF-funded projects and beyond.
With their commitment and scientific excellence, researchers make an indispensable contribution to the future of us all, and for this they deserve our thanks. They strengthen the foundations of a society that is increasingly becoming a knowledge society – and which depends on new findings.
Federal President of the Republic of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen
Competitive research funding, when implemented responsibly, is forward-looking and focuses on quality, as well as on fairness and equal opportunities. This applies not only to gender, but also to age and the various research disciplines in equal measure. The FWF is guided by these principles and also provides important impetus for the further development of Austria as a research location. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the Executive Board, the Supervisory Board, the Scientific Board, the Assembly of Delegates, and the entire FWF staff.
With numerous initiatives, the FWF actively contributes to more equal opportunities and diversity in top-level research. FWF’s career development programs are a particularly impressive example of how to support women researchers on their diverse career paths by using targeted skills and career development measures. That at least 50% of the projects in the ESPRIT and FWF ASTRA Awards programs are awarded to women illustrates the great potential of women in research.
It is a personal concern of mine that not only women in the early stages of their careers, but also advanced postdocs receive targeted support. This enables them to make the leap to the top of their research fields and into academic leadership positions. With ESPRIT and the FWF ASTRA Awards, the FWF has created long-term prospects for female researchers through internationally competitive funding and a fair distribution of grants. The newly introduced tenure package also offers an additional incentive for research institutions to offer women long-term employment in their research fields.
With the initiative excellent=austria, Austria has opened a new chapter in Austrian basic research. Nine Clusters of Excellence with hundreds of participating researchers are being funded for five years, bundling research strengths in a new and innovative way. This program not only funds cutting-edge research, but also trains highly talented researchers, communicates research results effectively, and creates opportunities for knowledge transfer. The investment volume of almost €260 million for the first five years will sustainably strengthen the international visibility of Austrian basic research.
The Emerging Fields program was also established as part of the excellent=austria initiative. Five particularly innovative, original, or high-risk project ideas were selected for funding in the first round of calls. This way, new approaches and paradigms become groundbreaking insights that enable transformative knowledge.
I wish the Austrian Science Fund every success in continuing along this successful path – for theb enefit of science and to strengthen Austria as a research location.
Eva Maria Holzleitner, Federal Minister for Women’s Affairs, Science and Research
Austria's cutting-edge research continues to be on the upswing, and this growth is also reflected in the funding going towards third-party-funded research. Last year, for example, the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) was able to finance research projects worth €408 million. €172 million went to projects in the natural sciences and technology, €160 million in biology and medicine, and €76 million in the humanities and social sciences. The FWF is currently funding a total of 5,006 researchers in ongoing projects at Austria's universities and other research institutions – a new record.
You can find a review of the past year and all the performance figures in this year’s FWF Annual Report.