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.