Austrian Research and Technology Report 2020

New initiatives and instruments 2019/2020 and 
outlook
The focus in 2019 was on continuing work on existing 
initiatives. One highlight during the year was the call 
for proposals for the “Flagship Region Energy Pro-
gramme”, an RTI initiative, for additional implementa-
tion projects in three selected regions: Green Energy 
Lab, NEFI – New Energy for Industry and WIVA P&G, 
the Hydrogen Initiative for the Austria Power & Gas 
Flagship Region. Up to €120 million in funding is set 
to be invested in these three flagship regions by 
2021. “Digitalisation” was included as a new topic ar-
ea in a call for tenders in the energy research pro-
gramme (€5 million) for the first time, with the re-
sults expected in May 2020. 
Outlook
The government programme for 2020–2024 de-
scribes the Climate and Energy Fund (KLIEN) as a 
central instrument for implementing Austria’s Nation-
al Energy and Climate Plan. The strategy plan is be-
ing developed further together with the federal min-
istry that is acting as owner, based on recommenda-
tions from national and international evaluations. The 
objectives are as follows: 
• secure multi-year funding for the Climate and En-
ergy Fund (KLIEN) based on the Research Funding 
Act;
79 See Environment Agency Austria (2019).
80 See OECD (2018).
81 See UNFCCC (2019).
82 See IEA (2015).
83 See also Austrian Court of Audit (ACA) (2019).
• give greater prominence to cross-sector and 
cross-system issues relating to the energy and 
mobility transition such as digitalisation and sec-
tor coupling;
• further develop and implement large-scale trials 
of Austrian-made innovations under real-life con-
ditions. Experimentation spaces
83
will enable 
technologies that form part of business models to 
be tested even if the generally applicable legal 
framework does not yet permit it;
• expand the funding portfolio to accelerate tech-
nology and knowledge transfer by increasing net-
working between research funding, environmental 
funding and business development as well as in-
novative public procurement.