Strategy Documents
Strategy 2020 – Research, Technology and Innovation for Austria
On 24 August 2009 the Council for Research and Technology Development presented its Strategy 2020 with proposals and recommendations for the future development of the Austrian innovation system. The Strategy’s aim is to position Austria as a successful and internationally recognised innovation nation.
The basis from which we start is a good one. In recent years Austria has completed a rapid catching up process in terms of its RTI performance and is now one of the innovation followers, i.e. one of those countries in the European Union with an RTI performance that is above average in many areas. However, weaknesses in the national innovation system show up above all in the transformation of input into output (i.e. Austria invests a disproportionally large share of resources in the RTI system and generates only lower than average output in comparison) and in the below-average percentage of the population with a tertiary education qualification and the number of science and engineering graduates.
These two weaknesses point to the greatest challenge that Austria will have to overcome in the next few years: To take the step from being an innovation follower to an innovation leader. This development step is needed as the returns from an adaptive innovation strategy have now largely been exhausted. However, this move requires a fundamental change in the focus of research, technology, innovation and educational policy.
The Austrian Council’s strategy structures the reforms that are necessary for this fundamental change: In eight strategy elements it defines strategic guidelines for continuing the successful development of recent years and making Austria fit for the research, technology and innovation challenges of the future and positioning the country among the group of innovation leaders.
You can download a pdf version of the Strategy 2020 here.
If you wish to receive the printed version of the document please contact the Austrian Council Secretariat.
Details of the discussion process and a comprehensive documentation of the wide range of activities during the development of the Strategy as well as the latest news on the implementation of the recommendations can be found at www.forschungsstrategie.at.
Further information can be obtained from Johannes Gadner.
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Strategy for Excellence
At the start of the Alpbach Technology Forum 2007 the Austrian Council presented its Strategy for Excellence based on the corresponding recommendation made in Strategy 2010. The objective of the Strategy for Excellence is to raise Austria’s quality and attractiveness as a centre of research, technology and innovation at all levels and in all performance sectors, and improve its international competitiveness in science and industry.
You can download the English Executive Summary of Strategy for Excellence here.
The strategy document as a whole is only available in German. If you wish to receive the printed version of the German document please contact the Austrian Council Secretariat.
Further information can be obtained from Johannes Gadner.
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Strategy 2010 – Perspectives for Research, Technology and Innovation in Austria
At the end of its first term of office the Council for Research and Technology Development presented a position paper in the form of its Strategy 2010 published in August 2005. This built upon the National Research and Innovation Plan (NAFIP) published in December 2002 and contained guidelines covering ten areas of action for Austrian research, technology and innovation policy in the period up to 2010 and beyond. In early 2008 the Austrian Council subjected all recommendations made in Strategy 2010 to a systematic survey to verify the status of their implementation. The results of this survey show that more than two thirds of the 59 recommendations made in the Strategy document have already been or are in the process of being implemented.
You can download Strategy 2010 as a pdf file or order a printed version from the Council Secretariat.
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National Research and Innovation Plan
On 3 December 2002 the Austrian Council approved the National Research and Innovation Plan (NaFIP). NaFIP provides an overview of key R&D indicators and the institutional system in Austria in an international comparison. On this basis RTI policy proposals were formulated for achieving the national spending target of 2.5% of GDP. They included proposals for structural change to the individual R&D performance sectors as well as proposals for the reorganisation of the funding landscape. Furthermore, scenarios for the use of public and private sector funding were developed. You can download the complete text of the National Research and Innovation Plan here (only German).
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Basic Principles of the Austrian Council's Work
At the start of its first term of office the Council for Research and Technology Development formulated the basic principles of its work and published them as a vision and strategy in spring 2001.
- Vision 2005 – Among the Best through Innovation describes the Austrian Council’s common values and mission statement as well as its objectives for 2005.
- 2.5% + plus – Prosperity through Research and Innovation builds upon Vision 2005 to formulate the key elements of the strategy for achieving the goals.