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.

Further information can be obtained from Alexandra Mazak-Huemer.