Austria has achieved impressive results in basic research in recent years. The Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Austrian researchers two years in a row and Austrian scientists regularly gain large sums of funding from the European Research Council (ERC).
But are these individual successes representative of Austria's quality as a research location? Or are they the outstanding achievements of individuals who were able to succeed despite less than ideal starting conditions? And: How could the framework conditions for researchers be further improved?
Austria has climbed to sixth place in the EU's annual innovation ranking, but is still not among the innovation leaders, which include countries of comparable size such as Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) therefore wants to know with its new prize question: "Is Austria a good research location?".
Our aim is to gather new ideas on what Austria might look like as a research location in the future.
Austria as a research location
Outstanding research is based on the excellence and creativity of outstanding researchers. In order for these qualities to fully develop, equally outstanding research conditions are needed," says OeAW President Heinz Faßmann and adds: "With our new Prize Question, we want to encourage people to take a close look at Austria as a research location. Our aim is to gather new ideas on what that might look like in the future."
Submissions until May 1, 2024
Participants can submit their ideas in the form of essays of 10,000 to 15,000 characters. The competition is open to individuals and groups, and entries can be written in both German and English. Submissions can be sent by email to preisfrage(at)oeaw.ac.at until May 1, 2024.
An interdisciplinary prize committee will then select the best answers, which will be awarded 8,000 Euros for first place, 6,000 Euros for second place and 2,000 Euros for third place.
With its Prize Question, the OeAW is taking up a long tradition at science academies. Since the 18th century, they have regularly issued public calls for proposals in order to find solutions to unanswered scientific and social challenges of their time.
