9th Session
The ninth meeting of the FORWIT took place on 26 January for the full day in premises of the Parliament in Vienna. Following an informative exchange with Christoph Badelt, who as Chair of the Productivity Council reported on its latest recommendations for reorienting RTI policy in Austria, the Council Assembly discussed intensively the further treatment of subject areas concerning FORWIT in the current Federal Government programme.
In the afternoon session, the priorities pursued over the past year were discussed retrospectively and in summary. On competitiveness in STI, the Council adopted an analysis on the topic “Science to Business”. Furthermore, the Council Assembly also adopted a compliance guideline, which provides supporting assurance of the framework conditions for FORWIT’s continued effective approach in its advisory activities.
The Council meeting was followed by an exchange with members of the Federal Government. The evening concluded with FORWIT’s traditional New Year reception, crowned by a moving speech from the outgoing Deputy Chair Sylvia Schwaag Serger.
8th Session
As part of a delegation visit to Berlin, the eighth Council meeting will take place on Monday, 10 November 2025. On the occasion of this trip, Council members will also have the opportunity to attend the internationally renowned Falling Walls Conference on the preceding Sunday.
7th Session
The seventh meeting of the FORWIT Council took place in close temporal proximity to this year’s Technology Talks, where discussions focused intensively on technological future trends and the research policy frameworks required to address them. On Thursday, 11 September, FORWIT organised the **Science2Business** workshop as part of its thematic focus on competitiveness in research, technology, and innovation (RTI).
On Friday, 12 September, high-level panels on research and innovation policy issues were held in the morning, with FORWIT representatives playing a prominent role. A highlight was undoubtedly the contribution by Chair Tom Henzinger during the closing panel, in which he presented the Council’s recommendations for the preparation of the RTI Pact 2027–29.
The Council meeting on Friday afternoon centred on discussions around the 2026 work programme. Planning for the delegation trip to Berlin in November was also addressed. The Council resolved to issue a programmatic statement on academic freedom. Two new working groups were established and are expected to operate until the end of 2026: one will coordinate and connect Austrian stakeholders on the topic of artificial intelligence, while the other will begin work on the analysis of the Austrian higher education system expected from FORWIT under the government’s programme.
6th Session
The sixth meeting of the FORWIT Council began on Monday, 26 May 2025, with a working breakfast attended by three representatives of the Federal Government. Federal Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner, Federal Minister Peter Hanke, and State Secretary Elisabeth Zehetner used the opportunity to meet the members of the FORWIT Council and exchange views on the ambitious research and innovation policy objectives set out in the government programme. This was followed by the presentation of the RTI Monitor 2025 in the Parliament building, which was attended by nearly 100 participants from across the RTI system, who listened to FORWIT’s analysis and findings.
Afterwards, the Council convened for a two-day retreat with the staff of the Secretariat at a seminar venue in Baden. In addition to progress reports on the two main thematic priorities – Studying in Austria (led by Tom Henzinger) and Competitiveness in RTI (led by Georg Kopetz) – discussions also focused on how FORWIT can actively contribute in the coming weeks to the many initiatives mentioned in the government programme related to science, research, and innovation. Particular attention will be given to the analysis of the higher education system in preparation for a Higher Education Strategy 204o. Another top priority is the timely preparation of recommendations for the next RTI Pact, which the Federal Government is expected to adopt by the end of the year.
The Council also engaged intensively with issues concerning artificial intelligence, key technologies, as well as research security and academic freedom. Members discussed recent developments in European research policy, drawing on the Federal Government’s reflection paper on the forthcoming EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. Strengthening collaboration with other council formations and advisory bodies – both internationally and within Austria – remains a key focus, as FORWIT continues to advocate a proactive, European perspective on Austria’s RTI policy.
5th Session
The fifth meeting of FORWIT took place on 27 January 2025 at the Council Office in Vienna. The day began with discussions with representatives of the three ministries responsible for research (BMBWF, BMK, BMAW) on current developments in European research and innovation policy. The Council then opened the new year by addressing its core priority topics, with particular attention devoted to the operationalisation of the “Competitiveness in RTI” theme. It was also agreed to revise the Council’s rules of procedure, including, among other things, to define the Council’s publication formats.
The day concluded in the Austrian Parliament building, where the traditional New Year’s Reception was held for politicians, civil servants, and representatives of more than 60 organisations from across the STI system.
4th Session
On 11 November 2024, the fourth meeting of FORWIT took place. Following an informative working breakfast with Federal Minister Polaschek and Federal Minister Gewessler, a workshop on the resilience of the Austrian RTI system was held in cooperation with experts from AIT. Central points of discussion were recent geopolitical developments and the challenge of making an effective contribution to Europe’s competitiveness.
The working session of the Council addressed, among other things, priority topics for 2025 and preparations for next year’s Council meetings. The further development of procedural standards to safeguard equidistance and impartiality in the interest of objective advisory work was also discussed. Council members reported on their activities, including a contribution to the FWF event on CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment), initiatives on deep tech funding, and international networking with other councils. Forthcoming events in which FORWIT will be involved were also discussed, in particular the ERA Symposium, the REvaluation Conference, and the 2025 Vienna Ball of Science.
3rd Session
The third meeting of FORWIT took place on 13 September 2024, following the Technology Talks Austria in Vienna. Discussions focused in particular on the 2025 work programme, on which the Council adopted a positive opinion. As part of the Technology Talks Austria, Chair Thomas A. Henzinger and Deputy Chair Sylvia Schwaag Serger presented FORWIT’s recommendations to the next Federal Government. The Council also decided to organise a thematic workshop at its next meeting in November, at which the resilience of the Austrian STI system will be examined.
2nd Session
The second meeting of FORWIT took place as a two-day working session on 27 and 28 May 2024 and involved a series of substantive discussions. In particular, the Council adopted a recommendation on the use of the 2024 funds from the “Zukunft Österreich” (Future Austria) Fund, which was submitted on time to the National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development and will be published at the end of June 2024. Further agenda items under the work programme concerned the preparation of a position paper on the European Union’s next Framework Programme for Research (FP10) (scheduled for publication in July 2024) and the development of scenarios for how the Austrian RTI system can be designed to be resilient and antifragile in the future.
The Council also held an in-depth discussion on a draft set of recommendations for the government programme of the next legislative period. In addition, it defined its role as an expert advisory body to the Federal Government in a mission statement, which was adopted together with a vision statement.
The first day of the meeting took place in the Austrian Parliament building. On this occasion, the current edition of the RTI Monitor was also presented to the public in an evening event. On the morning of the second day, Council members were invited to a working breakfast with Federal Minister Martin Polaschek, at which the future role of the Council for the Austrian RTI system was discussed in detail.
1st Session
At its first meeting, the Council unanimously elected Sylvia Schwaag Serger as Deputy Chair. The Council also adopted the 2024 work programme, which will focus on: (1) recommendations on the “Zukunft Österreich” (Future Austria) Fund; (2) a set of requirements for the government programme of the XXVIIIth legislative period; (3) input for FP10; (4) the RTI Monitor 2024; and (5) the development of possible future scenarios and an assessment of the resilience and antifragility of the existing RTI and science system, followed by corresponding recommendations.