Federal Government Paves the Way for Austria’s Success as a Research Location

The FWF welcomes the funding framework presented by the federal government for the RTI Pact 2027-2029. Total investments of almost €5.5 billion will strengthen Austria as a research location and provide long-term planning security. The focus is on excellent, thematically open basic research.

February 24, 2026

Wissenschaftsministerin Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Außenministerin Beate Meinl-Reisinger und Wirtschaftsminister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer mit Mikrofon bei der Pressekonferenz — Minister of Science Eva Maria Holzleitner, Minister of Foreign Affairs Beate Meinl-Reisinger, and Minister of Finance Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer present the RTI Pact at the Federal Chancellery: Austria will be investing close to €5.5 billion in science and research over the next three years. © APA-Images/Helmut Fohringer

The Austrian federal government has adopted the RTI pact for the period 2027 to 2029, defining the country’s strategic and financial framework for science, technology, and innovation. Although negotiations were delayed due the current tense fiscal situation, they were ultimately concluded successfully and stable funding conditions have been established. The investments, amounting to almost €5.5 billion, will allow Austria to continue growing in the RTI sector.

“With this RTI pact, the federal government is creating the basis for Austria to continue to invest extensively in science and research in the future. This will, for example, pave the way for the long-term continued funding of the Clusters of Excellence and also provide young researchers with reliable career prospects. An investment that pays off many times over: Every euro invested in research has an impact that extends far beyond science – it strengthens Austria as an innovation location, creates jobs, and drives social progress,” say FWF President Christof Gattringer and Vice-President Ursula Jakubek.

At the end of January, Minister of Science Eva-Maria Holzleitner earmarked an investment volume of €3 billion for the RTI pact for basic research, which also includes funding for the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). The federal government’s decision now provides planning security. In the next step, the allocation of funds between the responsible ministries and the institutions subject to the Research Financing Act (Forschungsfinanzierungsgesetz, FoFinaG) will be determined. Based on the outcome of this process, the FWF will then finalize its funding budget for the coming years.

Added value for Austria as a research location

More than 5,000 researchers throughout Austria are currently working on FWF-funded projects, in contexts ranging from career advancement programs and individual research projects to small and large research teams and inter-institutional FWF Clusters of Excellence. The majority of funding recipients are early-stage researchers, which means that FWF projects make a key contribution to educating and retaining highly qualified talent for industry and society. The knowledge gained in these projects forms the basis for innovations in numerous areas – from medicine and technology to cultural and social sciences.