The Council consists of twelve internationally recognised experts appointed by the Federal Government. The chair is appointed by the Federal Chancellor in agreement with the Vice Chancellor. The members of the Council are appointed for a term of four years, a single reappointment is permitted.
Chair of FORWIT
Computer scientist
Institute of Science and Technology Austria
Prof. Thomas A. Henzinger, PhD is a computer scientist and served until the end of 2022 as the first President of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA). He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society, Academia Europaea, the Leopoldina, and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW). Since 2023 he has been serving on the Scientific Council of the European Research Council.
Deputy Chair
Expert in innovation-driven energy transition
DI Theresia Vogel, an independent expert, headed the Climate and Energy Fund from 2010 to 2022. Before that, she served as head of department at the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), as well as holding positions at the University of Applied Sciences WN and the TU Wien. Her focus lies on innovation‑driven, climate‑compatible transformation of industry on the climate‑change adaptation of urban spaces. Since 2025 she has been a member of the board of the Forschungsstiftung Energiepark.
Economist and Innovation Expert
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Cantner is Professor of Economics at FSU Jena. From 2019 to 2025, he served as Chair of the Expert Commission for Research and Innovation (EFI). His research addresses questions across the broad spectrum of the economics of innovation and research and innovation (R&I) policy. He is engaged in international bodies promoting evidence-based R&I policy.
Sociologist
University of Vienna
Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Jörg Flecker was Professor of General Sociology until his retirement in 2024 and is currently Senior Research Fellow at the University of Vienna. His research focuses on work and employment, digitalisation, youth, and right‑wing populism. He is also chair of the non‑profit agency for science communication “Diskurs. Das Wissenschaftsnetz”.
Neurologist
Neurocrine Biosciences Inc.
Priv.-Doz. Dr Dietrich Haubenberger, MHSc, FAAN, neurologist and clinical researcher, a graduate of the University of Vienna and former President of Austrian Scientists and Scholars in North America (ASciNA). He is Vice-President for Translational Medicine at Neurocrine Biosciences Inc., a US-based biopharmaceutical company.
Chair of the Management Board
TTTech Computertechnik AG
Mag. Georg Kopetz is co‑founder and Chair of the Management Board of TTTech Computertechnik AG, a leading high‑tech company in Central Europe. He also serves as President of the joint venture company TTControl in Brixen/Bressanone, Italy.
Chair of the Supervisory Board
Boehringer Ingelheim Regional Center Vienna (RCV)
Philipp von Lattorff, MBA, is Chair of the Supervisory Board of Boehringer Ingelheim Regional Center Vienna (RCV), having previously served as Country Managing Director until 2023. His international management career has taken him, among other places, to Italy, Hungary, and the Baltic region.
Science and technology researcher
Former President of the ERC
Em. Univ.-Prof. Dr. iur. Dr. h.c. mult. Helga Nowotny, PhD is Professor Emerita of Science and Technology Studies at ETH Zurich. She was a founding member and former President of the ERC, chairs the Scientific Advisory Board of the Complexity Science Hub, and serves on the advisory board of the Falling Walls Foundation. Her current research focuses on AI in science and its impact on society.
Computer scientist
TU Munich/TU Graz
Prof. DI Dr. techn. Johanna Pirker, BSc is Professor of Computer Science at TU Munich and TU Graz. Her research focuses on artificial intelligence, data analysis, immersive technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, as well as game studies and gamification strategies.
Physicist
Medical University of Innsbruck
Univ.‑Prof. Mag. Dr. Monika Ritsch‑Marte is an Austrian physicist in the field of theoretical quantum optics and biomedical optics, with a focus on microscopy methods and optical tweezers. She is an ERC grant recipient, a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, a Fellow of the Optical Society of America, and an honorary member of the Austrian Physical Society (ÖPG).
Managing Director
Austrian Cooperative Research (ACR)
Dr. Sonja Sheikh holds a PhD in economic theory and policy from WU Vienna and has been Managing Director of Austrian Cooperative Research (ACR) since 2019. From 2004 to 2018 she served as Deputy Director of KMU Forschung Austria. Since 2020 Sonja Sheikh has also been Chair of the Platform for the Evaluation of Research and Technology Policy (Plattform fteval).
Historian
University of Graz and Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on the Consequences of War
Univ.‑Prof. Mag. Dr. Barbara Stelzl‑Marx is head of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on the Consequences of War, Graz – Vienna – Raabs, Professor of European Contemporary History at the University of Graz, and lecturer at the Diplomatic Academy Vienna. She is also an elected corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and was named Scientist of the Year in 2019.
Council Member from 27.11.23 until 31.3.26
Deputy Chair from 22.1.24 until 31.3.26
Council Member from 27.11.23 until 31.1.24