Austrian Research and Technology Report 2020

OECD Country Review “Supporting Entrepreneur-
ship and Innovation in Austria”
Commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Education, 
Science and Research (BMBWF), the OECD Country 
Review “Supporting Entrepreneurship and Innovation 
in Austria”
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was presented to the public in November 
2019 together with the OECD and the European Com-
mission. With its report, the OECD confirms Austria’s 
policy of driving forward innovation and entrepreneur-
ship at its higher education institutions. During the 
2019–2021 performance agreement period and even 
before that, the universities have been urged to ad-
dress the topic of entrepreneurship – be this in their 
teaching, their research or their third mission. Entre-
preneurship also forms an integral part of Austria’s 
universities of applied sciences, with the entrepre-
neurial agenda reflected in their mission statements, 
diverse ranges of courses and support services.
In its review, the OECD highlights in particular the 
high quality and breadth of activities targeting an 
91 See 
https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/industry-and-services/supporting-entrepreneurship-and-innovation-in-higher-educa-
tion-in-austria_1c45127b-en#page1
“Entrepreneurial and Innovation Agenda”. Indeed, 
Austria boasts a great many examples of best prac-
tices in this regard; those cited in the review include:
• Graz University of Technology: key projects of-
fered in the Entrepreneurial University;
• University of Graz: the “Kompetenzen Lernen Uni 
Graz” programme;
• NAWI Graz: strategic partnership between the Uni-
versity of Graz and Graz University of Technology;
• University of Innsbruck: service office for all trans-
fer activities, interdisciplinary PhD programme;
• University of Vienna: improving interdisciplinary 
teaching through complementary courses and in-
terdisciplinary research platforms;
• University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences 
Vienna: matrix organisation for degrees and re-
search programmes; an “idea hub” run by students;
• University of Applied Arts Vienna: interdisciplinary 
course in “Cross Disciplinary Strategies”;
• Complexity Science Hub set up by Vienna Univer-
sity of Technology, Graz University of Technology, 
the Medical University of Vienna, the Austrian In-
stitute of Technology (AIT), Vienna University of 
Economics and Business, IIASA, the University for 
Continuing Education Krems and the Austrian 
Economic Chambers (WKO), which encourages re-
searchers to collaborate in interdisciplinary re-
search groups and creates new forms of organisa-
tional structure;
• Paracelsus Medical University and the University 
of Salzburg: as an example of how Salzburg’s uni-
versities are working together to pool teaching 
activities;
• Vienna Children’s University: cooperation between 
higher education institutions in the field of scien-
tific communication;
• Vienna University of Economics and Business: 
NPO SE Competence Centre with a focus on social 
entrepreneurship;

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