In the ESPRIT career program, which is aimed specifically at postdocs, the FWF processed applications worth a total of €97.7 million in 2024. 85 proposals were approved, amounting to a funding volume of €29.2 million. 40 of the funded researchers are women and 45 are men. In the Elise Richter Program, the expiring senior postdoc funding program for women which is being replaced by the new FWF ASTRA Awards program, the FWF processed applications from 83 women researchers with a total volume of €37.1 million last year. Of these, the FWF was able to approve proposals submitted by 25 women, amounting to a funding volume of €11.3 million. Detailed statistics can be found on the FWF website.
Top Women Researchers in the Spotlight
The FWF is currently funding the work of 2,363 female researchers throughout Austria – an important contribution to the career development of women in science and research. This also includes 60 new female principal investigators in the postdoc and senior postdoc phase who successfully acquired funding from the ESPRIT and Elise Richter career programs in 2024.
Last Thursday, the newly approved principal investigators in the FWF career programs met in Vienna to receive their awards and network with fellow researchers. The Austrian Minister for Women, Science and Research Eva-Maria Holzleitner, FWF President Christof Gattringer, and Vice-President Ursula Jakubek attended the event.
At the ceremony, Science Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner emphasized the achievements of women in science: “More and more people are recognizing the value of diversity, both in politics and in cutting-edge research. It is particularly important to me to create conditions that give young women the opportunity to make full use of their talents. Believing in yourself and supporting each other remain the key to success.”
“On an evening like this, we turn the spotlight on women’s careers in cutting-edge research and congratulate all of our award-winning female researchers. However, we have not yet reached our goal and are continuing our efforts to create conditions that allow even more women’s career paths to lead to top-level research. The support of all organizations in the research field is key to creating more positions for young women researchers, who can then also successfully acquire third-party funding,” agree FWF Vice-President Ursula Jakubek and FWF President Christof Gattringer.
Researchers on stage: Making research more inclusive
Following the presentation of the funding awards, four women researchers took the stage to talk about their experiences and views on equal opportunities in science and research. Franziska Lorbeer (IMP – Research Institute of Molecular Pathology), Hanna Oppelmayer (University of Innsbruck), Yvonne Zivkovic (University of Graz), and Karen Kastenhofer (Austrian Academy of Sciences, Chair of the Elise Richter Network) discussed visibility, glass ceilings, and the question of how gender equality in the sciences can be further advanced.
Advancement of women, equality, and diversity
With this event, the FWF is helping to strengthen networks of excellent women researchers in Austria in the long term. The annual award ceremonies and networking events are part of numerous measures intended to support women in cutting-edge research and increase their visibility. In addition to specific measures for women researchers, these include the implementation of an Equality Plan, the establishment of the Equal Opportunities and Diversity in Research Funding unit, and the consistent monitoring of funding statistics. With the tenure package for women in the new FWF ASTRA Awards, the FWF is also setting additional priorities in the advancement of women. The general goal is to ensure gender equality and to recognize the diversity of researchers and their projects in all areas.
