174 New Research Projects Approved for Funding

The current funding decisions of the FWF Scientific Board have been announced: In 2026’s third round of awards, the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) is funding a total of 174 research projects with around €84.3 million. Details of the newly approved projects are now available online on the FWF Research Radar page.

July 1, 2026

Nahaufnahme eines Kugelstoßpendels (Newton) mit sechs silberfarbenen Metallkugeln vor blauem Hintergrund — In its latest round of approvals, the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) set 174 new projects in motion. © Shutterstock

At the Scientific Board’s third meeting in 2026, the FWF’s Scientific Consultants decided on a total of 780 funding applications, based on international reviews. Of these, 174 research projects were approved for funding with a total of €84.3 million due to their scientific excellence.

Principal Investigator Projects accounted for the largest share. Of a total of 231 applications received, 62 Principal Investigator Projects with a total volume of €27.9 million were approved. This funding will allow many basic research projects to be realized.

The 174 approved projects also include 50 projects from international programs with a funding amount of around €20 million, although the final commitments from the partner organizations are still pending. These include collaborations with Germany, France, and Poland, as well as the European QuantERA program for research and innovation in the field of quantum technologies.

Markus Aspelmeyer Receives the 2026 FWF Wittgenstein Award

The June meeting also included the decision on Austria's most highly endowed research awards: This year's FWF Wittgenstein Prize, worth €2 million, was awarded to quantum physicist Markus Aspelmeyer. With the funding, he plans to continue his experiments at the University of Vienna and the Austrian Academy of Sciences over the long term, and to tackle key open questions at the interface of quantum physics and gravity. The FWF ASTRA Awards were presented for the second time: Eleven women and five men will be carrying out their five-year ASTRA projects at universities and other research institutions throughout Austria.

Two new #ConnectingMinds projects to launch

#ConnectingMinds funding gives mixed teams from research and practice the opportunity to look for answers to social challenges. Two teams succeeded in securing funding in the third round of calls, which featured a multi-stage selection process and a hearing before an international jury. Their work will be funded with a total volume of €2.5 million, provided by the Fonds Zukunft Österreich.

Building Tomorrow(s) with Fungi

Coordination: Sarah Kolb, University of Arts Linz
Consortium members and partner research institutions: Jutta Strohmaier, Florian Sametinger (both from the University of Arts Linz), Martin Kaltenbrunner (Johannes Kepler University Linz)
Non-academic participants: Forum Umweltbildung, Climate Alliance Austria, Austrian Institute for Healthy and Ecological Building, MyPilz & the Vienna Pilzfestspiele, sendance permeable electronis, Austrian Mycological Society, Mycological Working Group at the Upper Austrian Biodiversity Centre in Linz, Ars Electronica, and the St. Florian agricultural secondary school

Adaptation for Just and Sustainable Transitions

Coordination: Krzysztof Janowicz, University of Vienna
Consortium members and partner research institutions: Meike Levin-Keitel, Patrick Sakdapolrak (both from the University of Vienna)
Non-academic participants: DIALOGPLUS, Stadt-Umland-Management (SUM) Vienna, Planning Office Module 5