“Long-term strategies for research and technology in Upper Austria and Europe”

Press conference on 21/01/2014

What does the research strategy in Upper Austria look like and how does Upper Austria benefit from Horizon 2020, the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, and COSME, the EU Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs? These and other questions were discussed at a press conference for the second RFT Upper Austria evening of lectures on the topic of “Long-term research, technology and innovation strategies at European and national level” on Monday, 20 January 2014.

© Land OÖ/Dedl: l- r: Paul Rübig, MEP; research minister Doris Hummer; Günter Rübig (chairman of the Upper Austrian Council for Research and Technology); Dr Wolfgang Burtscher (Deputy Director General, Directorate-General Research and Innovation of the European Commission)

Pooling all Resources to Boost Upper Austria’s Future Potential

Increasing competitiveness and the capacity for innovation is a prerequisite for securing prosperity and a high quality of life for the people in Upper Austria. It is precisely this objective that the new strategic business and research programme “Innovatives Oberösterreich 2020” is pursuing. Pooling resources in education, research and business is the key message of the new strategic programme of which research is a central element.

“The commitment to the policy of growth in our research budget will be continued,” says Minister Hummer with satisfaction. The TRIPLING of the province’s research budget to EUR 78 million by 2020 represents a milestone in Upper Austrian research. It means that achieving a share of 4% of the total budget for research by then is now within reach.”

"Innovatives Oberösterreich 2020" makes Upper Austria fit for the future With its budget of EUR 1.35 thousand million, the strategic business and research programme “Innovatives Oberösterreich 2020“ represents record investment in Upper Austria’s future. The research and economy departments will each contribute around EUR 225 million for the duration of the programme from 2014 to 2020. The remaining EUR 900 million will come from project partners and third-party funds.

What is new and unique about the programme is its orientation along the chain of innovation education – research – business within defined fields of action which were in turn determined on the basis of Upper Austria’s core competences. In this way, the strategic programme faithfully implements the smart specialisation strategy advocated by the EU.

Research, Innovation & Funding for SMEs European and local schemes that promote small and medium-sized enterprises

Only through research and technology will Europe stay competitive! “Only by making the best possible use of research, technology and innovation will Europe stay competitive amid global competition,” says Dr Paul Rübig, MEP. “Innovations are the key to our prosperity.”

In 2014, the two EU funding programmes Horizon 2020 and COSME come into effect. These schemes help small and medium-sized enterprises in particular to drive research, innovation and competitiveness forward.

“With these schemes, the EU is supporting research and development more than ever before,” says Paul Rübig, one of those who negotiated the terms of the programmes at the European Parliament. “At the same time, bureaucratic obstacles in obtaining these grants are being removed one by one.”

HORIZON 2020 – the European Union’s new Framework Programme for Research Funding

At the beginning of 2014, the European Union’s new programme Horizon 2020 came into effect.

It is scheduled to run until 2020 and, with its funds of EUR 79 thousand million, is the biggest programme for research funding in the world. The budget is just under 50% higher than the previous programme (EUR 54 thousand million) which is just ending. In the first round of calls, set to run until 2015, EUR 15 thousand million is waiting to be claimed.

The new framework programme will also incorporate the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) and European Institute of Innovation and Technology EIT).

Horizon 2020 will be the flagship of the innovation policy initiative of the Europe 2020 strategy and is a central element in achieving the European research Zone.

© Land OÖ (LK)