Research institutions of the Austrian Academy of Sciences are grouped into fields of research respectively centers. They are also listed by location or in alphabetical order.

In establishing the New Frontiers Groups programme, the OeAW intends to develop a flexible structure with which it can respond rapidly to cutting-edge developments in science and research, which are largely driven by young researchers.

The administration of national and international research programmes is one of the primary tasks of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

With its "Mittelfristiges Forschungsprogramm " (medium-term research programme), the Academy established a mechanism of quality assurance and permanent structural reform.