A Year of Research on 110 Pages

What are the recent developments in application and approval rates? How many people are working on FWF projects? Which are the most successful university and non-university research institutions? For the answers to these and many other questions, have a look at the FWF’s latest Annual Report.

The most important funding statistics at a glance

Last year, the FWF funded 683 new research projects with €408 million. Over 5,000 people are working on FWF-funded research projects in Austria. Their subjects range from Byzantine studies and musicology to medical technology and nanotechnology, electrical engineering, and materials technology. There would still be potential for more innovative research, as the number of excellent projects once again exceeded the available budgetary resources by far.

A look back at the 2024 year of research

In addition to the funding statistics, the annual report also contains a selection of special moments from science in 2024. These moments are representative of the impressive progress currently being made in all fields, from the humanities and social sciences to biology, medicine, the natural sciences, and technology. Our Annual Report also gives you the opportunity to read and listen to past editions of the discussion series “Was die Welt zusammenhält.” In this series, we bring together two people who are successful in completely different professions to exchange their thoughts and ideas on stage at the ORF RadioKulturhaus. What do they think about curiosity, creativity, and competitiveness in their fields? How does society deal with research and how does research deal with society? Turn to page 40 to read about the video portrait series “Wissenschaft bewegt,” where researchers talk about their careers and what led them to choose science. They show us how they work and what personal experiences have shaped them.