Council Members
The Austrian Council consists of eight members with voting rights, four of whom were appointed by the Minister of Education, Science and Art and four by the Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology. The members of the Austrian Council with voting rights are appointed for a five year term of office and may be reappointed for one further period. The Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology, the Minister of Science and Research, the Minister of Economic Affairs, Family and Youth and the Minister of Finance or their designated representatives hold seats on the Austrian Council but have no voting rights.
You can download the Act here (German, pdf file, 560kb). The passages concerning the Austrian Council can be found in Article 2, Paragraph 17 (page 11ff).
After the end of its first term of office (6 September 2000-September 2005) the Austrian Council reconstituted itself on 6 September 2005. On this page, we introduce you to the members of the Austrian Council:
Knut CONSEMÜLLER
Chairman of the Council
Knut Consemüller was born in Dortmund, Germany and studied ferrous metallurgy in Aachen and economics in Cologne. While at university he completed several traineeships in England and Sweden. In 1969 he obtained his doctorate from the Institute of Ferrous Metallurgy at the University of Technology Aachen. Consemüller was then employed at Hoesch-Stahl AG until 1989 where he was appointed to the management board in 1980. In 1989 the materials specialist assumed responsibility for strategic planning at VOEST-ALPINE-Stahl AG. In 1991 he was appointed to the Management Board of the Böhler-Uddeholm group with responsibility for research and development. From 1976 to 1984 Knut Consemüller was a member of the German Technology Advisory Board. He was appointed to the Austrian Council by the Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology and at the Council’s constitutive meeting on 6 September 2000 was elected chairman. He was re-elected to this position for the Austrian Council’s second term of office from 6 September 2005-5 September 2010.
Günther BONN
Deputy Chairman of the Council
Günther Bonn was born in Innsbruck where he also studied chemistry. Following lengthy research fellowships at Yale University in the USA he was appointed Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Linz. In 1995 he was appointed Professor of Analytical Chemistry at the Institute of Analytical Chemistry and Radiochemistry at the University of Innsbruck. He has more than 200 publications, 2 books and 12 patents to his name and is a member of the editorial committees of numerous international scientific journals. In 2003 he was awarded the Halasz Medal in recognition of his scientific achievements. For six years (until 1997) Prof. Bonn was a member of the FH Council, from 1996 to 2003 a member of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) where he served as a departmental head. He is currently a member of the University Council at the Medical University of Innsbruck and Deputy Chairman of the Council for Research and Technology Development in Vienna. He was appointed to the Austrian Council in 2000 and reappointed for a second term in office in 2005 by the Minister of Education, Science and Culture.
Dervilla DONNELLY
Dervilla Donnelly was born in Dublin and studied chemistry at the University of Ireland. After completing her studies she went to the University of California in Los Angeles in 1955 to carry out post-doctoral research. After further periods of research work in Sweden and France she returned to Ireland to become a lecturer for organic chemistry at University College in Dublin where she was appointed Professor of Phytochemistry in the mid 1980s. Dervilla Donnelly was a member and Vice President of the Executive Council of the European Science Foundation and the European Science and Technology Association (ESTA). She is Chair of the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, the Interim Review Group for Institutions in the Technological Sector and the Commission on Assisted Human Reproduction. In 2005 she was appointed to the Board of the National Museum of Ireland. Dervilla Donnelly was appointed to the Austrian Council by the Minister of Education, Science and Culture in 2000.
Albert HOCHLEITNER
The former CEO of Siemens AG Austria was born in Vienna and later studied at the Vienna University of Technology. In 1965 the trained physicist joined the Siemens Group’s Wiener Schwachstromwerke where he soon took over the software development unit. At the age of 41 Hochleitner was given “prokura” at Siemens AG Austria (established in 1971) and shortly afterwards in his capacity as sole Managing Director of UHER AG started to expand the electrical motors business in Germany and Canada. In 1992 he was appointed to the Management Board of the Group and became its Chairman in 1994. During his tenure Siemens Austria was given responsibility for the East European subsidiaries. Albert Hochleitner has served as an expert on the industry-related aspects of research and technology policy for several years now. He was appointed to the Austrian Council by the Minister of Education, Science and Culture in 2000.
Reinhard PETSCHACHER
Reinhard Petschacher was born in Spittal an der Drau and was an early pioneer in the field of semi-conductor technologies. In 1974 after completing his studies in communications engineering at the Vienna University of Technology he took up a position at Daimler-Benz in Ulm where he worked on optical systems. In 1980 he moved back to Carinthia to work at Siemens’ micro-electronic development centre in Villach. After a brief period in the United States he took over the management of telecommunications components development at the plants in Villach and Munich. Reinhard Petschacher is CTO of the Automotive, Industrial and Multimarket division of Infineon Technologies AG. He was appointed to the Austrian Council in 2000 by the Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology.
Hans SCHÖNEGGER
Hans Schönegger was born in Lienz in East Tyrol and studied business administration and business education at the University of Innsbruck. He subsequently served as the Federal Government’s regional coordinator for East Tyrol, advisor to the Technology Transfer Centre Leoben and as project manager at Heinz Ehgartner Maschinenbau GmbH in Leoben. In 1995 he joined the Carinthian Economic Promotion Fund (KWF) as head of the funding department, and was appointed to the management board in 1998. Since 1998 Hans Schönegger has been Managing Director of Kärntner Betriebsansiedelungs- und BeteiligungsgmbH (BABEG, from 1998 – 2002: Managing Director of GIG Gründer-Innovations- und Gewerbezentrum BesitzgesellschaftmbH) and since 2002 Managing Director of Lakeside Science & Technology GmbH. He was responsible for the planning, development and construction of this unique science and technology park. Hans Schönegger is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Carinthian Tech Research AG (CTR), the competence centre Holz GmbH (K-Wood) and Kärntner Sanierungsgesellschaft m.b.H. (KSG). He was appointed to the Austrian Council in September 2005 by the Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology.
Jürgen STOCKMAR
Jürgen Stockmar was born in Germany and after obtaining his degree in mechanical engineering worked for Audi and then Steyr-Daimler-Puch, where he was appointed to the Management Board with responsibility for research and development in 1985. After serving on the Management Board of Audi AG where he was responsible for technical development he returned to Steyr-Daimler-Puch as CEO in 1990. In this capacity he played a major role in the restructuring of the Graz plant, transforming it from a motorcycle manufacturer to a profitable automobile engineering and production plant. Following his activities as head of research and development at Adam Opel AG he assumed responsibility for global development and technology activities at Magna International in 1998. Since 1997 he has taught at the Vienna University of Technology and was also one of the founders of the Frank Stronach Institute at the Graz University of Technology. Jürgen Stockmar was appointed to the Austrian Council in September 2005 by the Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology.
Gabriele ZUNA-KRATKY
Gabriele Zuna-Kratky was born in Vienna. After completing her training she spent the years 1981 to 1988 teaching at schools that offer one-year courses for future apprentices. In June 1988 she received her doctorate in philosophy and went to work at the Austrian Ministry for Education and Art. There she was employed in the School Broadcasts and Media Education Department as well as in the Media Service Department of which she was head from 1993 to 1997. In October 1997 she was appointed director of the Österreichische Phonothek. On 1 January 2000 she became the first female director of a technical museum, the Technisches Museum in Vienna. Zuna-Kratky is also a member of the University Council of the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, a trustee of the Deutsches Museum Munich and of the Berlin Museum of Technology. Through her work and the many special exhibitions she has organised Gabriele Zuna-Kratky contributes to raising awareness of the importance of science and is also skilled at communicating research results. Gabriele Zuna-Kratky was appointed to the Austrian Council in September 2005 by the Minister of Education, Science and Culture.
Advisory Members:
DORIS BURES
Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology
BEATRIX KARL
Minister of Science and Research
REINHOLD MITTERLEHNER
Minister of Economic Affairs, Family and Youth
(link to Reinhold Mitterlehner)