A New dimension in Research Funding: Austria’s First Clusters of Excellence Awarded
With the initiative excellent=austria, Austria is opening a new chapter in basic research: A total of nine Clusters of Excellence are providing an innovation boost for basic research in Austria and are launching cooperative projects on an unprecedented scale. The FWF and the participating research institutions are coming up with a total investment volume of €260 million to finance cutting-edge research on future-oriented topics for the first five years of the planned ten-year duration, with hundreds of researchers involved at research institutions throughout Austria. One Cluster of Excellence is dedicated specifically to quantum research.
Photo: JFK/EXPA/picturedesk
Focus on key issues such as quantum technologies, energy, health, and the knowledge crisis
Austria’s new Clusters of Excellence are advancing basic research on key topics at the highest scientific level: energy storage, quantum technologies, global health, the future of knowledge, brain research, Eurasian cultural heritage, healthy aging, artificial intelligence, and materials research. The funding can be used to establish long-term structures and attractive research conditions and boost international visibility at the participating institutions.
Clusters of Excellence are characterized by a successful combination of cutting-edge research, research-led education, and the advancement of junior researchers, as well as an exchange of knowledge at national and international levels. Collaborations with the business community and the public to facilitate knowledge and technology transfer are another key element of the Clusters.
Quantum Science Austria
Pushing the boundaries of quantum science
The Second Quantum Revolution - the breathtaking development of modern quantum science - would have been inconceivable without groundbreaking contributions from Austria. Based on these discoveries, quantum technologies are being developed today that surpass traditional technologies in many areas. The Cluster of Excellence “Quantum Science Austria” aims to advance basic research in quantum science and expand the frontiers of knowledge, making it a driver for future innovations. Its focus is on fundamental questions about the quantum nature of space, time, and gravity, new paradigms in quantum information science, and the physics of quantum many-body systems.
Board of Directors and affiliated research institutions:
Gregor Weihs (Director of Research, University of Innsbruck)
Markus Aspelmeyer (University of Vienna)
Francesca Ferlaino (Austrian Academy of Sciences)
Johannes Fink (Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA))
Richard Küng (Johannes Kepler University Linz)
Hannes Pichler (University of Innsbruck)
Hannes-Jörg Schmiedmayer (TU Wien)
Photo: FWF/Daniel Novotny
Eurasian Transformations
Discovering the cultural heritage of Eurasia
The “Eurasian Miracle” (Jack Goody) developed over the course of three millennia, from Central Europe to Asia: historical transformation processes that continue to have an impact even on modern times. The growth and decline of empires, environmental changes, and mobility and migration affected economic developments, resulting in new constructions of identity and strategies of exclusion in societies and religions.
Board of Directors and affiliated research institutions:
Claudia Rapp (Director of Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences)
Birgit Kellner (Austrian Academy of Sciences)
Tijana Krstić (Central European University)
Melanie Malzahn (University of Vienna)
Walter Pohl (Austrian Academy of Sciences)
Robert Rollinger (University of Innsbruck)
Jens Oliver Schmitt (University of Vienna)
Photo: FWF/Daniel Novotny
Microbiomes Drive Planetary Health
Understanding how microbiomes impact planetary health
Microbiomes - communities of microorganisms that colonize all ecosystems and living organisms - are essential for the health of our planet and all its inhabitants. In this Cluster of Excellence, 30 scientists from a range of disciplines and seven different research institutions are working to decipher common basic principles of environmental microbiomes and human microbiomes. The goal is to understand how microbiomes control the health of our planet.
Board of Directors and affiliated research institutions:
Michael Wagner (Director of Research, University of Vienna)
Andreas Bergthaler (Medical University of Vienna)
Christina Kaiser (University of Vienna)
Bernhard Lendl (TU Wien)
Christine Moissl-Eichinger (Medical University of Graz)
Alexander Moschen (Johannes Kepler University Linz)
Leonid Sazanov (Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA))
Angela Sessitsch (AIT Austrian Institute of Technology)
Photo: FWF/Daniel Novotny
Knowledge in Crisis
Understanding and overcoming the knowledge crisis
Today we face a crisis of knowledge. Our claims to knowledge are being threatened by rapid and spectacular developments in technology, and by attacks on the very ideas of knowledge and truth themselves. The flood of information on the internet challenges our ability to tell truth from falsehood, and there is a widespread rejection of the standards of scientific evidence and expertise. The crisis raises deep philosophical questions about knowledge, truth, science, ethics, and politics, and ultimately about our relationship to reality itself.
Board of Directors and affiliated research institutions:
Tim Crane (Director of Research, Central European University)
Marian David (University of Graz)
Katalin Farkas (Central European University)
Max Kölbel (University of Vienna)
Hans Bernhard Schmid (University of Vienna)
Paulina Sliwa (University of Vienna)
Charlotte Werndl (Paris Lodron University of Salzburg)
Photo: FWF/Daniel Novotny
Materials for Energy Conversion and Storage
Discovering new materials for an emission-free future
The continued burning of fossil fuels to meet our growing demand for energy has brought the world to the brink of a climate crisis. In this Cluster of Excellence, researchers are working to create new technologies for efficient energy conversion and storage, paving the way to a fossil fuel-free society. One key factor is the storage of renewable energy in recyclable energy carriers: water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen, and CO2 can be converted into higher-value products - even climate-neutral substitutes for natural gas and crude oil.
Board of Directors and affiliated research institutions:
Günther Rupprechter (Director of Research, TU Wien)
Ulrike Diebold (TU Wien)
Stefan Freunberger (Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA))
Leticia González (University of Vienna)
Julia Kunze-Liebhäuser (University of Innsbruck)
Photo: FWF/Daniel Novotny
Neuronal Circuits in Health and Disease
Unlocking the secrets of the brain
The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. The Cluster of Excellence aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how different types of inhibitory neurons – essential cellular nodes of any neural network – develop and what makes them susceptible to disorders such as schizophrenia, autism, and epilepsy. The Cluster will be developing new concepts of personalized pharmacotherapy.
Board of Directors and affiliated research institutions:
Tibor Harkany (Director of Research, Medical University of Vienna)
Francesco Ferraguti (Medical University of Innsbruck)
Thomas Klausberger (Medical University of Vienna)
Gaia Novarino (Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA))
Noelia Urbán Avellaneda (IMBA – Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, OeAW)
Manuel Zimmer (University of Vienna)
Peter Jonas (Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA))
Photo: FWF/Daniel Novotny
Circular Bioengineering
Making material cycles sustainable
Exploiting limited resources to produce consumer goods creates wealth in the short term, but threatens the very existence of many forms of life in the long term. This Cluster of Excellence is investigating ways of decoupling economic growth and resource consumption. Materials made from renewable resources and their efficient and, above all, circular use should make it possible to switch from petroleum-based to bio-based materials.
Board of Directors and affiliated research institutions:
Roland Ludwig (Director of Research, BOKU University)
Chris Oostenbrink (BOKU University)
Antje Potthast (BOKU University)
Marko Mihovilovic (TU Wien)
Wolfgang Kroutil (University of Graz)
Gunda Köllensperger (University of Vienna)
Bernd Nidetzky (Graz University of Technology)
Photo: FWF/Daniel Novotny
Metabolic Control of Aging and Disease
New strategies for healthy aging
The aim of this Cluster of Excellence is to investigate how metabolic control disorders influence the risk of age-related diseases. At the same time, targeted nutritional interventions are being clinically tested. The innovation: Findings from basic research in model organisms are being transferred directly into clinical research. The idea is to encourage prevention and turn “medicine against illness” into “medicine for health.”
Board of Directors and affiliated research institutions:
Frank Madeo (Director of Research, University of Graz)
Gernot Faustmann (University of Graz, not pictured)
Brigitte Pertschy (University of Graz)
Thomas Pieber (Medical University of Graz)
Thomas Scherer (Medical University of Vienna)
Martina Schweiger (University of Graz)
Sabrina Zimmermann (University of Graz, not pictured)
Photo: FWF/Daniel Novotny
Bilateral Artificial Intelligence
Discovering new dimensions of AI
The Cluster of Excellence combines the two most important strands of research in the field of artificial intelligence today: machine learning and symbolic AI (knowledge representation and reasoning). The goal is to develop the foundations of “Broad AI.” While existing AI programs like ChatGPT evaluate only existing data, new AI systems could plan better, adapt quickly to changing situations, and become creative in a broader sense.
Board of Directors and affiliated research institutions:
Sepp Hochreiter (Director of Research, Johannes Kepler University Linz)
Agata Ciabattoni (TU Wien)
Thomas Eiter (TU Wien)
Gerhard Friedrich (University of Klagenfurt)
Christoph Lampert (Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA))
Robert Legenstein (Graz University of Technology, not pictured)
Axel Polleres (WU Vienna University of Economics and Business)
Martina Seidl (Johannes Kepler University Linz)
Photo: FWF/Daniel Novotny
About the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) is Austria’s leading organisation for funding all fields of basic and arts-based research. Based on a rigorous international peer review process, the FWF supports excellent researchers and their ground-breaking ideas. The insights they gain make Austria a more attractive research location and create the broad knowledge base needed to face the challenges of tomorrow.