Austrian Research and Technology Report 2020

2. Key Players in Research Funding and in Non-university Research 
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Because technological and economic opportunities emerge in particular from young companies and these 
structural changes impact the business landscape, it is the declared goal of the Austria Wirtschaftsservice 
(aws), in accordance with impact goal 1, to continue providing sufficient financial resources for enterprise 
creations in the future and to support companies beyond the early stages in making large investments. In 
accordance with impact goal 2, the Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws) plans to utilise its instruments to raise 
awareness among companies concerning innovation topics, provide financial resources for the implementa-
tion of innovation projects and develop strategies for the protection and exploitation of intellectual property. 
This should take place so that companies can undertake innovation activities in order to actively capitalise 
on opportunities to remain competitive despite structural change and continuously adapt to new require-
ments. With its monetary promotional instruments in particular, the Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws) shall, in 
accordance with impact goal 3, continue to support large investments in order to enable growth prospects.
Based on the circumstances, challenges and opportunities encountered by the Austria Wirtschaftsser-
vice (aws), five strategic focal points for strategically and sustainably addressing customer needs and 
changes during the coming years have been defined in addition to the three described impact goals. With 
these five strategic focal points as guides, the Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws) modifies the orientation 
of its agenda and its support programmes. The following 
strategic focal points
were defined in the new 
multiannual programme for 2020–2022: 
1. Digitalisation
The process of digitalisation will bring fundamental changes to the economy and society, placing new 
requirements on workers. Digital skills are in increasing demand and give rise to the need for lifelong 
learning. Appropriate qualifications and an enabling mindset support the achievement of social inclusion 
and a high level of employment even in a digitalised society. Moreover, digitalisation offers new opportu-
nities for the Austrian economy by means of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data and 
5G applications. Austria wishes to play a pioneering role in this area, in part through an ambitious 5G 
build-out, which is also substantively supported by the Austria Wirtschaftsservice (aws).