-
The OECD Review of Austria’s Innovation Policy is part of a series of OECD country reviews of innovation policy (http://www.oecd.org/sti/inno/oecd-reviews-of-innovation-policy.htm). It was requested by the authorities of Austria, represented by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF) and the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT). The review was jointly supported by the ministers in charge, Prof. Heinz Faßmann (BMBWF) and Nobert Hofer (BMVIT). The review was carried out by the OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation under the auspices of the Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy (CSTP).
-
-
Austria’s innovation system has developed rapidly over the past two decades. From 1998 to 2016, Austria showed the second highest increase in R&D intensity of all OECD countries, exceeded only by Korea. The rapid growth of R&D inputs was matched by a similar increase in human resources for STI. Increased resources have helped to expand STI activities and opportunities for learning, but outputs and outcomes have not always met expectations. To become a leader in innovation, Austria faces the challenge of transforming its sizeable investment in STI into more decisive economic and social impacts.
-
This chapter presents an overall assessment of Austria’s innovation system and policy, reflecting the key findings of the review. It identifies strengths and weaknesses with respect to research and innovation policy and performance, and develops concrete policy recommendations for improving Austria’s performance in science, technology and innovation.
-
This chapter outlines the evolution and discusses current challenges of the Austrian innovation system. It provides an overview of the expansion and structural change in Austria’s expenditure on research and development, and the system’s performance in terms of main STI indicators. The chapter further illustrates Austria’s performance in international innovation rankings in relation to innovation leaders and reflects on the system’s capabilities for international innovation co-operation as well as between industry and science.
-
This chapter outlines the main business actors in innovation and their performance, and discusses the main innovation challenges facing the Austrian business sector today. It analyses public support for business innovation and entrepreneurship as well as the innovation capacity of the Austrian business sector. It discusses improving early stage equity financing and investment readiness as well as supporting management and leadership development. The chapter continues to illustrate the current policy mix to support business R&D and describes possible avenues to better respond to future needs in this area. The chapter further discusses Industry 4.0 by providing an overview of key areas that enable harnessing the benefits of respective technologies, including cloud computing, the supply and use of data, 5G networks and Austria’s readiness for technology diffusion.
-
This chapter examines the performance and attractiveness of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Public Research Institutes (PRIs) in Austria. It outlines the evolution of the higher education landscape and assesses the performance of HEIs in human capital formation, research and in “third mission” activities. It continues by discussing the strategic steering and funding of public universities and the role of competitive funding. The chapter concludes by discussing the role of different types of PRIs in the Austrian innovation system.
-
This chapter examines science, technology and innovation governance in Austria. It begins with an overview of the main government actors in science, technology and innovation policy: ministries, funding agencies (and the role of private foundations), as well as advisory councils for research and innovation. It then examines agenda setting, co-ordination and evaluation of science, technology and innovation policy including the role of societal challenges and support for international linkages and cooperation,