What priority does research promotion have in Austria, considering the global financial crisis?
Research is of central significance. When it comes to preparing for a successful future, research and development are the right instruments. According to the WIFO’s white paper, two thirds of economic growth can be attributed to research and development. Therefore, we want to continue to increase Austria’s innovative output. That will improve our competitive position and create new, high-quality jobs. This is the only way to achieve our goal of climbing to the Top 3 of Europe’s most innovative national economies.
Are there certain special focus areas that are gaining importance in Austria’s research promotion?
Every year, public authorities invest 2.5 billion EUR in research. This use of funds needs to be optimized – by determining clear focus areas and approaching them in an application-oriented manner. At the BMVIT (Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology), we place great value on “green technologies” in order to counteract the effects of climate change and the shortage of energy resources. Central focus areas therefore are energy and environmental technologies as well as energy-efficient mobility. In the latter, there is a special focus on electric mobility. All over the world, Austria has always been regarded as an excellent location for top-level automotive research and development. This is also why I increased the subsidy amount for conventional and alternative technologies in the automotive sector by 50 percent, as a powerful boost for the automotive industry. For 2009 and 2010, 60 million EUR for each year are available. We do not only support research regarding new technologies, but rather research in connection with concrete application concepts; for example, vehicle technology, loading technology and intelligent energy supply.
In addition to the standard programmes, are there plans for further initiatives and strategies in the R&D sector?
Supporting young researchers is a special concern of mine. It is important to awaken their interest. Studies show that the fascination for research and technology is comparatively low among young people between 14 and 24 years, but that it is much stronger in younger children. We need to keep this enthusiasm alive, support it and strengthen it. The spirit of research in children today is the innovative power of our country tomorrow – and supporting our young is the most sustainable form of securing our position as a business location. Therefore, the BMVIT supports a range of projects for young researchers with 11 million EUR annually, from kindergarten to graduate student scholarships. Much emphasis is placed on the support of young girls. We need to succeed in bringing more women into research and development. We just cannot afford to pass on half of our population - which means half of our creativity, imagination and dedication.
At Barcelona in 2002, it was agreed at EU level that an R&D quota of three percent should be achieved by 2010. A current assessment by Statistics Austria calculated a research quota of 2.73 percent for 2009. In light of the economic turbulences, how realistic is it to achieve the three percent quota?
Austria is the one country in the EU that showed the greatest increase in R&D spending in the last few years. With a research quota of 2.73 percent of the GDP, we are now in third place among the 27 EU member states. Considering our intensive efforts in this field and the “domestic economy’s turn towards growth” (WIFO), I am quite confident that we can achieve the three percent quota in 2010. But this can only be a stopover along the way. By 2020, we want to achieve a research quota of four percent. But the public authorities can only accomplish this goal in cooperation with businesses. In the long term, we are aiming for a financing apportionment where the public authorities contribute one third and the economy contributes two thirds. In order to achieve this and give the economy the required stimulus, direct research promotion needs to increase at least as dynamically as the indirect one. |
