1. The Role of Clusters and Networks in the Austrian
R&D and Innovation Policy
Abstract
European Cluster Conference
… paving the way towards 2020 by cooperation and excellence
18th April 2012
Palais Niederösterreich
Dr. Maria Bendl
Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth
Head of Division
Research and Development
1011 Vienna - Austria - Stubenring 1
Phone: +43(0)1 711 00 - 5036
Fax: +(0)1 711 00 - 2036
Email: maria.bendl@bmwfj.gv.at www.bmwfj.gv.at
Seite 1

2. Welcome
to the European Cluster Conference 2012
…paving the way towards 2020 by cooperation and excellence
(I) Introduction: Research, Technology and Innovation in Austria
In recent years, Austria has developed a differentiated and broad system of re-
search funding that helped to support Austria's successful catching-up process in
being amongst Europe's innovation leaders. This system covers everything from
bottom-up funding, to top-down thematically defined programmes and tax-
related funding instruments.
In 2011 Austria has spent more than € 8bn for research and development for the
first time which equals 2.79% of GDP1. In the same year the Federal Govern-
ment of Austria has developed a strategy for research, innovation and education
with a time-frame of 2020 to promote the ambitious goal to increase the quota
to 3.76 percent until that year.
The European Commission ranked Austria 8th in the "Innovation Union Score-
board" (IUS) in 2011 and defined Austria as innovation follower close to the "in-
novation leader" group (Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Sweden).
Therefore the funding system must now be adjusted to fit the new strategic tar-
get: establishing Austria as an Innovation Leader.
Emphasis here is placed on maximum efficiency and effectiveness of funding
(high leverage), as well as the principle of competition-based funding allocation.
− Average annual rates of growth in total R&D expenditure in Austria:2
Year 2000 to 2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011
Growth rate 8.16% 1.45% 3.04% 5.01%
1
Statistik Austria: Österreichische Forschungsquote 2011;
http://www.statistik.at/web_de/statistiken/forschung_und_innovation/globalschaetzung_forschungsquote_ja
ehrlich/index.html
2
Austrian Research and Technology Report 2011;
http://www.bmwfj.gv.at/ForschungUndInnovation/InnovationsUndTechnologiepolitik/Doc
uments/Forschungs-%20und%20Technologiebericht%202011.pdf
Dr. Maria Bendl, Abteilungsleiterin
C1/10 - Forschung und Technologie
1011 Wien | Stubenring 1 | Tel.: +43 (0)1 711 00 - 5036 | Fax: +43 (0)1 71100-2036
E-Mail: maria.bendl@bmwfj.gv.at| DVR 0037257 | www.bmwfj.gv.at
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3. − R&D financing share in Austria by funding source: 3
Year Private sector Public sector
2009 61,15% 38,85%
2010 60,65% 39,35%
2011 60,83% 39,17%
(II) Austria – an „Early Mover“ in Cluster-Politics in Europe
The Austrian clusters are an effective instrument of
a) co-operations between companies and
b) co-operations of enterprises with public institutions such as research insti-
tutions as well as educational institutions.
Cluster activities in Austria started in the late 1990s. In 1995 the Automotive
Cluster Styria was founded followed by the Upper Austrian Automotive Cluster in
1998.
3
Austrian Research and Technology Report 2011;
http://www.bmvit.gv.at/en/service/publications/downloads/downloads_ftb/ftb_2011_en.pdf
Dr. Maria Bendl, Abteilungsleiterin
C1/10 - Forschung und Technologie
1011 Wien | Stubenring 1 | Tel.: +43 (0)1 711 00 - 5036 | Fax: +43 (0)1 71100-2036
E-Mail: maria.bendl@bmwfj.gv.at| DVR 0037257 | www.bmwfj.gv.at
Seite 3

4. Since 2000 several clusters in Vienna, Lower Austria, Tyrol, Salzburg, Vorarlberg,
Carinthia and Burgenland teamed up resulting in the start of the National Cluster
Platform Austria 2008.
Clusters and networks in Austria
Meanwhile there are ~ 50 regional clusters and networks in Austria in the main
economic and technological fields such as mobility, materials, health and life
science, food technology, ICT and mechatronics, environmental tech-
nologies, construction, design and many more.
Nearly 4000 Austrian companies with more than 400.000 employees are mem-
bers of the diverse cluster initiatives. However, total revenue of € 80bn is gener-
ated by companies co-operating with clusters.4
4
www.clusterplattform.at; Werner Clement, Silvia Welbich-Macek: „Erfolgsgeschichte:
15 Jahre Cluster-initiativenin Österreich“; Wien, Juni 2007.
Dr. Maria Bendl, Abteilungsleiterin
C1/10 - Forschung und Technologie
1011 Wien | Stubenring 1 | Tel.: +43 (0)1 711 00 - 5036 | Fax: +43 (0)1 71100-2036
E-Mail: maria.bendl@bmwfj.gv.at| DVR 0037257 | www.bmwfj.gv.at
Seite 4

5. Interaction of Clusters and innovation policy as well as impacts on re-
search and innovation policy:
1. Location marketing and attraction of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI): Clus-
ters are important for a strong location marketing because they give a region
a strong profile. In a region with strong clusters foreign direct investors are
attracted.
Excursus:
Some examples of outstanding clusters with strong impacts on the region:
ACstyria Automotive Power Styria - Founding year 1995
The aim of ACstyria is to support their partner companies in terms of com-
petition, exploring new markets, and to optimise their innovation activities
and make them"fit for future".
AC Styria tries to link together industry, research and public institutions
and to promote sustainable synergies.
Members: 180
Employees: 40.000
Revenue: € 11bn
Food Cluster of Lower Austria (LMC) - Founding year 2011
The Food Cluster of Lower Austria is point of contact and provider of in-
formation and services for all players involved in the food industry in
Lower Austria – from agriculture to processing, and all the way to food re-
tail.
Members: 90
Employees: 9.559
Revenue: € 55bn
Plastics Cluster (KC) Upper Austria - Founding year 1999
The Plastics-Cluster (KC) is a superordinated, plastics sector network. It
supports initiates and coordinates inter-company teamwork, as well as co-
operation between companies and technology transfer bodies in the plas-
tics sector. It has the aim of concentrating potential and competences, in
order to increase the innovative capacity and international competitiveness
of the partners. Special attention is paid to the needs of small and me-
dium-sized companies (SMEs). The Plastics-Cluster (KC) is an initiative of
the countries Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Salzburg.
Members: 436
Employees: 58.900
Revenue: € 13bn
Life Science Austria Vienna Region (LISAvienna) - Founding year
2001
As a joint initiative of the Republic of Austria and the City of Vienna,
LISAvienna tries to assist their partners in the areas of biotechnology,
medical technology and pharmaceuticals to turn their inventions into mar-
ketable products, improved processes and new services. The main focus of
Dr. Maria Bendl, Abteilungsleiterin
C1/10 - Forschung und Technologie
1011 Wien | Stubenring 1 | Tel.: +43 (0)1 711 00 - 5036 | Fax: +43 (0)1 71100-2036
E-Mail: maria.bendl@bmwfj.gv.at| DVR 0037257 | www.bmwfj.gv.at
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6. the activities is on custom-tailored advice and assistance for innovative
enterprises.
LISAvienna is supported by Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (aws) and
the Technology Agency of the City of Vienna (ZIT).
Members: 102
Employees: 32.966
Revenue: € 5.9bn
2. SME benefit from know-how platforms: SME especially profit from exchange
of knowhow from co-operations with partner companies in terms of boosting
research and development activities as well as the co-operations in the field
of workforce training.
3. Enhancement of research activities and infrastructures: the newly set up
strategy for research, innovation and education highlights the importance of
synergies in using research infrastructure. Major spending on equipment for
research and development should be coordinated to reduce costs and to in-
crease utilisation of it.
4. Global markets: With the help of clusters export activities are initiated. The
performance in global markets is improved by bundled efforts of the clusters'
members and managers.
5. Clusters play an active role in the development of the knowledge intensive
service sector. In general in clusters there is an extensive exchange and co-
operation between the companies and the service sector.
6. Last but not least: clusters helped us to absorb the effects of the recent cri-
ses by investing for example in educational trainings within their organisa-
tions.
With such a wide range of activities clusters support competitiveness, growth and
employment of regions with remarkable impacts on the economic performance!5
(III) National Cluster Platform Austria - activities
5
Comp.: www.clusterplattform.at; Clement, Werner, Silvia Welbich‐Macek: Erfolgsgeschichte: 15 Jahre Cluster‐
initiativenin Österreich; Wien, Juni 2007; Berrer, Helmut, Julia Borrmann, Günther Grohall, Christian Hel‐
menstein, Anna Kleissner: Volkswirtschaftliche Bedeutung der Cluster in Niederösterreich, Wien, November
2011.
Dr. Maria Bendl, Abteilungsleiterin
C1/10 - Forschung und Technologie
1011 Wien | Stubenring 1 | Tel.: +43 (0)1 711 00 - 5036 | Fax: +43 (0)1 71100-2036
E-Mail: maria.bendl@bmwfj.gv.at| DVR 0037257 | www.bmwfj.gv.at
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7. The National Cluster Platform (NCP) was established in 2008 on initiative of
the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth for information and coopera-
tion purposes of the Austrian cluster players at national and regional level.
The National Cluster Platform initiates the discussion of topics of common con-
cern within working groups. It actively contributes to further developments of the
Austrian RDTI policy as well as to activities at European level. Members of
the NCP support the implementation of innovative measures in Austria.
Today five different working groups are established within the National Cluster
Platform as they are:
• Working group 1: Transmission function of Clusters and their role in the na-
tional innovation system
• Working group 2: Clusters as drivers for research and innovationi
• Working group 3: Link-up to cluster activities at European level
• Working group 4: Internationalisation strategies in connection with cluster
policy
• Working group 5: Knowledge intensive Services and Clusters6
Example of an international cluster funding program of the
Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth
It is important to increase the trans-regional co-operations of clusters and the
active involvement in innovation and research programmes of the European Un-
ion. Therefore the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth developed a
program for promoting international activities for clusters with an annual
budget of approximately € 150.000.7
13 applications for funding from 6 different categories e.g.
o Project MechNet (Mechatronics clusters Tyrol and Upper Austria):
Building an international mechatronics platform together with clusters in
Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the Czeck Republic.
o Project Cluster InnoBYG (proHolz Tirol): Intensified co-operations with
Danish clusters.
6
Description of WG2‐5 compare: www.clusterplattform.at;
7
Maximum grant per project: € 50.000
Dr. Maria Bendl, Abteilungsleiterin
C1/10 - Forschung und Technologie
1011 Wien | Stubenring 1 | Tel.: +43 (0)1 711 00 - 5036 | Fax: +43 (0)1 71100-2036
E-Mail: maria.bendl@bmwfj.gv.at| DVR 0037257 | www.bmwfj.gv.at
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8. (IV) Technology Transfer in the Context of Europe 2020: The Role
of Clusters and National Funding Programs
Participants of Cluster Conference 2012: Cluster experts and R&D-experts from
all over Europe - have a common view on:
• Importance of Investment in education, R&D and innovation
• Importance of cooperation between "academia" and "business" (technol-
ogy transfer)
Investment in education, R&D and innovation
It makes sense that EU and Member states continue to invest in education, R&D
and innovation, even or especially in times of fiscal restraints.
This vision was clearly expressed on the European level in several recent strate-
gic European documents, e.g. "Europe 2020".8
Europe 2020 initiated seven "flagship initiatives", which, for example, refer to
- improving framework conditions and access to finance for research and innova-
tion ("Innovation Union"),
- changing the business environment, notably for SMEs and supporting the de-
velopment of a sustainable industrial base to compete globally ("Industrial
Policy for the globalisation era").
Further "flagship initiatives" refer to new technologies (e.g. "digital agenda",
"Resource efficient Europe").
8
Für die Umsetzung der Leitinitiative „Innovationsunion“ muss auch die durch den Markt
angeregte Innovation im Privatsektor und im öffentlichen Sektor gefördert werden, um die
Innovationskapazität der Unternehmen und die europäische Wettbewerbsfähigkeit zu stärken.
Dies setzt voraus, dass die Rahmenbedingungen für Innovation insgesamt verbessert und die
spezifischen Hemmnisse angegangen werden, die dem Wachstum innovativer Unternehmen
entgegenstehen. Es werden leistungsstarke Mechanismen der Innovationsförderung (z. B. ein
besseres Clustermanagement, öffentlich-private Partnerschaften und Zusammenarbeit in
Netzen), hochspezialisierte Dienste zur Innovationsförderung (z.B. für den Umgang und die
Nutzung von Rechten des geistigen Eigentums oder Innovationsmanagement, Netze
öffentlicher Auftraggeber) und die Überprüfung staatlicher Politik im Hinblick auf Innovation
unterstützt. KMU-spezifische Themen werden im Rahmen des Einzelziels „Innovation in
KMU“ gefördert. vgl, http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/documents/related-document-
type/index_en.htm; Europe 2020 Strategy.
Dr. Maria Bendl, Abteilungsleiterin
C1/10 - Forschung und Technologie
1011 Wien | Stubenring 1 | Tel.: +43 (0)1 711 00 - 5036 | Fax: +43 (0)1 71100-2036
E-Mail: maria.bendl@bmwfj.gv.at| DVR 0037257 | www.bmwfj.gv.at
Seite 8

9. Cooperation between "academia" and "business" (technology transfer)
-> Put our point of view on an often expressed criticism (compare evaluation pa-
pers, strategic documents as well as statements by both sides: the world of re-
search as well as that of business:
We need to get more innovation out of our research!
What does this mean:
We need
• to have more and better understanding and cooperation between re-
searchers at Universities and the R&D-personel in a company.
• to have better coordination between EU and national research and inno-
vation systems
• modernised education systems as well as structural funding measures to
support the qualification of research and innovation staff in companies
(world class universities, a raise of skill-levels in secondary and tertiary
education; qualification measurers for high tech and middle tech compa-
nies)
• to remove barriers for entrepreneurs to bring their "ideas to the market"
and to realize the "Technology-transfer from the idea to the new product
(support "prototyping" by funding measures; provide better access to fi-
nance, esp. for SMEs; support the entrepreneur saving Intellectual prop-
erty rights)
For most of the above mentioned measures for successful technology transfer
clusters can be mentioned as "best practice".
Allow me to repeat the definition of "Clusters" or "Technology-Clusters" in
this context:
a) Clusters are: co-operations of enterprises with public institutions such as
research institutions as well as educational institutions.
Dr. Maria Bendl, Abteilungsleiterin
C1/10 - Forschung und Technologie
1011 Wien | Stubenring 1 | Tel.: +43 (0)1 711 00 - 5036 | Fax: +43 (0)1 71100-2036
E-Mail: maria.bendl@bmwfj.gv.at| DVR 0037257 | www.bmwfj.gv.at
Seite 9

10. Technology transfer/ National Programs Austria (examples)
Operated by the
• Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG)
• Austrian Wirtschaftsservice (aws)
Clusters may apply for grants in various programs aiming at technology trans-
fer:
− COMET (Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies; FFG)
To foster collaboration between academia and industry, the so-called Compe-
tence Center Program was started in 1998. After the success of the initial pro-
gram, a successor program called COMET was launched in 2007.
COMET is a joint program developed by the Federal Ministry of Transport, In-
novation and Technology (BMVIT) and the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family
and Youth (BMWFJ), and is managed by the Austrian Research Promotion
Agency (FFG).
COMET consists of three program lines, the K1-Centers, K2-Centers, and K-
Projects, and is thematically open. The main strategic objectives of COMET are
an orientation towards excellence, involvement of international research ex-
pertise, and development of technological leadership in order to strengthen
Austria as a R&D location.
The three program lines of
COMET9
K-Projects K1-Centers K2-Centers
Number: approx. 20 Number: approx. 15 Number: approx. 5
Public financing: 40-50% Public financing: 40- Public financing: 45-60%
Project duration: 3-5 years 55% Project duration: 10
Funding per year: Project duration: 7 years
€ 450.000 years Funding per year: € 5mn
Funding per year:
€ 1,5mn
9
Budget 1st call: € 123.8mn
2nd call: € 94mn
4th and 5th call: € 27mn
‐>2nd funding period for existing K1‐centers: € 49.5mn
Dr. Maria Bendl, Abteilungsleiterin
C1/10 - Forschung und Technologie
1011 Wien | Stubenring 1 | Tel.: +43 (0)1 711 00 - 5036 | Fax: +43 (0)1 71100-2036
E-Mail: maria.bendl@bmwfj.gv.at| DVR 0037257 | www.bmwfj.gv.at
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11. − RSA Research Studios Austria (Commercialisation of R&D results; FFG)
The “Research Studios Austria” is a research funding programme for the pro-
motion of applied research and a strong interaction between academia and
business. The aim of the program is to further develop applied research fol-
lowing basic research, and to strengthen entrepreneurial research in Austria.
Transfer of knowledge and know-how prepared in an application-oriented
manner by the “research studios”- and their (funded and/or non-funded) co-
operation partners - to business enterprises via the execution of contract re-
search or marketing projects.
Research issues: Energy Technologies, ICT, Biotech and Medical Technologies,
Material Technologies.
Budget for call in 2011: €12,9 mn (€4,0 mn for energy technologies)
Result: Promotion of 20 studios thereof 8 with a focus on energy technologies.
The Austrian Wirtschaftsservice programs support technology transfer by
• addressing technology oriented innovative start-ups (Pre-Seed, Seedfi-
nancing and "Management auf Zeit")
• providing venture capital through the "cleantech fonds",
• addressing Intellectual Property (IPR-programs) as well as by
• technology transfer programs (ProTrans).10
(V) Final Remarks
Thank you for your attention!
10
Budget: Seed und PreSeed 2012 (LISAvienna: 6 Mio p.a; Gründungen:6 Mio
p.a.); Cleantech Fonds: einmalig 6 Mio; IPR: p.a. 1,5 Mio; ProTrans: 5 Mio p.a.
Dr. Maria Bendl, Abteilungsleiterin
C1/10 - Forschung und Technologie
1011 Wien | Stubenring 1 | Tel.: +43 (0)1 711 00 - 5036 | Fax: +43 (0)1 71100-2036
E-Mail: maria.bendl@bmwfj.gv.at| DVR 0037257 | www.bmwfj.gv.at
Seite 11