Austrian ERA Stakeholder Forum Meeting took place in Vienna

The Austrian ERA Stakeholder Forum, came together for a physical meeting on 13 March 2024. The group consists of representatives of all relevant stakeholders in R&I policy in Austria and is dedicated to act as a sounding board for the design and implementation of ERA-related policies in Austria. The meeting was hosted by the Federation of Austrian Industries in their impressive building built in late historicist style on Schwarzenbergplatz in Vienna, and was co-chaired by Directors-General Barbara Weitgruber (BMBWF) and Henriette Spyra (BMK).

In addition to information provided about ERA work at EU level, and opportunities for informal exchange and networking, the meeting was intended to inform and discuss about five blocks of ERA policies, starting from the implementation of the current National Action Plan, and leading to the expectations of the next ERA Policy Agenda in these areas. The five areas were: International collaboration/research security; Research and technology infrastructures; Accelerating industrial transformation; Research careers/research assessment, and Trust in Science/Science for policy ecosystem.

With focussed presentations, several speakers from ministries, agencies and stakeholder organisations provided a highly informative background for the discussions, which will feed into both the further implementation of ERA policies in Austria and the discussion about the next ERA Policy Agenda at European level, with the ERAC meeting in Namur on 11/12 April 2024 as the next step.

The date for the Austrian ERA Symposium 2024 was also announced: It will take place on 21 November 2024 in Vienna. The venue and topics are still under discussion.