Dialogue on the Best Path Forward in Innovation and Science: ASciNA-AMPF Conference
Ambassador Petra Schneebauer with Barbara Weitgruber, Karin Emprechtinger, Wolfgang Petritsch and Alexandra Lieben.
Photo: Austrian Embassy Washington
Austrian Scientists and Scholars in North American (ASciNA) and the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation (AMPF) partnered with the Embassy of Austria and the Austrian Cultural Forum Washington to invite Austrian scientists and scholars in North America and American researchers to a dynamic Scientific Networking Event & Dialogue about the Best Path Forward with Science and Innovation stakeholders from Austria and America.
The gathering celebrated 25 years of the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation and its enduring commitment to connecting Austrian and American research communities.
Highlights of the conference were the keynote speech by Frank Pfefferkorn (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and the panel discussion on “The Resilient University: New Models for a Competitive Research Enterprise” with Anne-Marie Mazza (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine), Peter Ertl (TU Wien), and Dietrich Haubenberger (Neurocrine Biosciences, FORWIT), moderated by Hannelore Veit.
The ASciNA workshop, “Exploring the Best Path Forward: Comparing and Connecting the U.S., Canadian, and Austrian Research Ecosystems,” sparked a lively dialogue on the strengths, challenges, and opportunities across our academic systems and resulted in strategies on how to create more resilient and better connected research communities.
We would also like to congratulate the following Austrian researchers, whose work was awarded during the conference:
Winners of the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation Poster Session:
1st Prize: Christine Langner
2nd Prize: Larissa Traxler
3rd Prize: Dr. Constanze Coelsch-Foisner
2025 ASciNA Awardees:
Junior Principal Investigator: Caroline Moosmueller
Young Scientists: Alexander Lercher and Gabriele Wadlig
Their outstanding achievements exemplify the excellence and creativity of Austrian research in North America — the future truly looks bright.
A heartfelt thank you to our partners for their support:
Barbara Weitgruber from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Women, Science and Research, Alexandra Lieben (ASciNA President), Wolfgang Petritsch (AMPF President), Karin Emprechtinger (AMPF Executive Director), FWF Österreichischer Wissenschaftsfonds, Alumni of the University of Vienna, Austrian Business Agency (ABA) and Open Austria.
Together, we are shaping the future of international collaboration in science and innovation.
Additionally, the event and the ASciNA Awards were also featured on Radio Ö1:
“Guten Morgen mit Ö1”: oe1.orf.at/player/20251014/810337
“Wissen aktuell”: oe1.orf.at/player/20251014/810354
