Austria and Korea – Successful Research Collaboration in Strategic Areas

The FWF and its South Korean partner organization, the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), have maintained a mutually beneficial relationship for years. An important component of this collaboration is the organization of bilateral calls for proposals for joint research projects (FWF funding category: Principal Investigator Projects International). Over the next three years, five Austrian-Korean projects will receive a total of €1.6 million in funding.

November 9, 2026

Nächtliche Stadtansicht von Seoul/Korea — Five joint projects with colleagues at Korean universities will be launching shortly. © Unsplash/Getty Images

In late 2025, a new agreement was signed between the FWF and the NRF to enable researchers in Austria and Korea to collaborate in key strategic research areas.

2026 bilateral call for proposals

The two countries decided to strengthen their cooperation in 2026, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum sciences and technologies. As a result, the FWF and the NRF launched a joint bilateral call for proposals between January and March 2026. Each organization’s own national guidelines and review criteria applied for the parallel application procedure. Projects could only be approved if both organizations recommended them for funding based on the review process.

Five approved projects

A total of 33 proposals were submitted by the deadline at the end of March 2026. Following the completion of the parallel review process and based on the funding decisions of both organizations, the FWF and the NRF will be funding five Austrian-Korean projects over the next three years, with total funding from the FWF amounting to €1.6 million. The NRF will be funding the Korean parts of the projects with a similar budget.

Researchers in Austria and Korea are collaborating to develop practical solutions at the interface of medicine, technology, and AI. These include, for example, AI systems that detect inflammation around dental implants at an early stage, stem cell constructs for bone healing, and energy-efficient “brain chips” for more energy-efficient AI applications. In materials research, researchers are using machine learning to manufacture high-performance semiconductors with greater precision and use modern spectroscopy to analyze bacterial cells more quickly for medical testing.

New projects on the starting line

High-Throughput Raman Sorting for Single-Cell Microbiology; principal investigator: David Berry, University of Vienna; project partner: Kang Soo Lee, Ulsan National Institute of Science & Technology, Republic of Korea
3D-Integrated Neuromorphics for Energy-Efficient AI; principal investigator: Robert Legenstein, Graz University of Technology; project partner: Sanghyeon Choi, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology, Republic of Korea
Physics Informed Machine Learning of SiC Vapor Deposition; principal investigator: Lorenz Romaner, Montanuniversität Leoben; project partner: Ik-Tae Im, Jeonbuk National University, Republic of Korea
iPSC-Microcryogel Assemblies foR bone Tissue Engineering; principal investigator: Philipp J. Thurner, TU Wien; project partner: Seung Hun Lee, Dongguk University, Republic of Korea
Longitudinal AI-Based Forecasting of Peri-Implant Bone Loss; principal investigator: Benedikt Sagl, Medical University of Vienna; project partner: Ki-Tae Koo, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea