The “Institut für Demographie” (IfD) was founded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) in November 1975. Its board and its founding director, Lothar Bosse, were appointed in January 1976. The main activities in the starting year included developing a research agenda and the institute’s internal structure, preparing proposals for external funding, and concluding a cooperation agreement with the Austrian Central Statistical Office (ACSO).

In 1977, the first IfD scientist employed by the ÖAW, Alois Haslinger, began working in the new building of the ACSO in Vienna’s third district. Two sections were established: (1) Theory and Basic Research (headed by Gustav Feichtinger) and (2) Applied Demography (headed by Richard Gisser), with both section heads being external honorary functionaries.

In the following years, the institute was active - and successful - in acquiring external funding for research projects. An early highlight was the longitudinal study of fertility intentions in young marriage cohorts. Publication outlets included the “Schriftenreihe” (since 1977), “Demographische Informationen” (D.I., since 1981) and “Forschungsberichte” (since 1985). Between six and fourteen researchers worked on fee contracts, and the permanent staff of scientists increased gradually to about four full-time equivalents (FTE) by 1990.

In 2001, the ÖAW decided to substantially expand and internationalise the institute and designated Wolfgang Lutz as the new director. According to these plans, with an emphasis on “excellence” and “relevance”, the institute sought to grow in size and importance, developing into an international hub for demography with cutting-edge methodology and high-quality peer-reviewed research, while strengthening its policy-oriented profile through the proactive analysis and projection of demographic trends and their consequences, including issues extending beyond national boundaries. Researchers were actively recruited from abroad, and English became the institute’s working language. The brand name “Vienna Institute of Demography” (VID) was introduced to signal this reorientation. An important step was the launch of an annual international scientific conference with a thematic focus, which in turn is adopted by the “Vienna Yearbook of Population Research”, the successor of D.I. The number of research groups expanded from two to four, and the institute moved to its new premises in Vienna’s fourth district. During this period the number of scientific FTE grew to 21. An evaluation in 2010 concluded: “The evaluation team is unrestrictedly positive about VID. It is an admirable institution.” In the same year, Marc Luy received VID’s first European Research Council (ERC) grant, while Wolfgang Lutz was awarded the Wittgenstein Prize, Austria’s most prestigious and highest-endowed scientific award.