FFG Annual Report 2017 (FFG (Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft))

Summary

• FFG total funding amounted to €562 million in 2017.p.24
• Since 2014, €870 million has been approved for Austrian participants in the EU research framework programme HORIZON 2020.p.23
• The share of approved FFG-funded projects in which digitalisation plays an important role rose from 39% in 2014 to 57% in 2017.p.23
• Austria's R&D expenditure reached 3.14 per cent of GDP in 2017, above the European target of 3 per cent for 2020.p.5
• Austria's success rate in the EU framework programme HORIZON is 16.9%, ranking 3rd.p.8
• FFG finances on average 10,000 researchers (FTE) per year in its projects.p.23

Key insights

1. In 2005, R&D spending in Austria reached 2.35 per cent of GDP.p.5
2. Styria received the largest regional share of FFG funding at €168 million, ahead of Vienna at €129 million and Upper Austria at €109 million.p.11
3. Around €70 million is made available each year by the transport and innovation ministry for developing new space technologies.p.13
4. The Global Incubator Network coached 20 start-ups from Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, India, Japan and South Korea under goAustria.p.12
5. The Impact Innovation pilot phase in 2017 funded 16 projects.p.13
6. More than 700 experts from research, innovation, business and administration attended the FFG Forum 2017.p.14
7. FFG, as national contact point for EU research programmes, handles more than 6,000 individual consultations per year.p.23
8. Austria has 400 companies that rank among the top 3 in the world in their field.p.23