Heinz Faßmann, President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Peter Riedler, Andrea Kurz, Horst Bischof, the Rectors of the three Universities in Graz, Christine Moissl-Eichinger, Director of BioTechMed-Graz, and Willibald Ehrenhöfer, Styrian Councilor for Science and Research, welcomed Giulio Superti-Furga as the Founding Director of Cori, the Carl and Gerty Cori Institute of Molecular and Computational Metabolism in Graz.
All stakeholders have high expectations for the new flagship institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and have pledged their support and a strong commitment to collaboration. Giulio Superti-Furga’s experience as a renowned researcher with multiple ERC grants, founding director of the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the ÖAW, entrepreneur and initiator of start-up companies, and a creative and art-loving individual with a proven interest and commitment to making science understandable, important, and useful to society, provides the best possible prerequisits.
The mission of Cori is to conduct world-class research to decode, model, and engineer human metabolism and its dynamic interplay with the environment, enabling transformative solutions for health, resilience, and sustainability.
Successfully establishing an institute now requires boldly pursuing and implementing shared plans and goals. Metabolism research is a renowned field in Graz that is now to be further strengthened and positioned as a leading interdisciplinary center for metabolism research in Europe. The institute will be established as a limited liability company (GmbH) to ensure it remains internationally competitive, agile, and actively engaged in commercial applications. Cori will initially operate from temporary facilities and subsequently move into the two purpose-built research buildings on Leechgasse in Graz. While the Austrian Academy of Sciences provides the research funding and acts as the mother organization, the universities and stakeholders in Graz are investing in the necessary building infrastructure. Still in 2026, the first administrative positions and research group leaders will be advertised internationally. All partners agree that young talents in particular have a keen interest in medical research, its connection to the environment, and new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, and can thus develop new strategies for human health.
The Cori, will be the third institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Styria, following the Institute for Space Research and the Erich Schmid Institute for Materials Science. It is based on the idea of Rudolf Zechner, an Austrian molecular biologist and recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Wittgenstein Prize and the Cross of Honor of the Province of Styria for Science and Research, First Class.
Stay informed about the further development of the Cori!
Link to the press release (German text)