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GIRI joins European Commission study visit to Austria on science-business collaboration
GIRI took part in a five-day European Commission study visit to Austria, held in Vienna from 7 to 11 September 2026, dedicated to national policies and practical approaches for strengthening science-business links and knowledge valorisation.
The visit brought together 18 representatives from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, drawn from public authorities, universities and research organisations, Horizon Europe support structures, innovation and business-support organisations, companies and civil society. GIRI participated as a self-funded delegate within the Georgian group, reflecting the Institute's work with Georgian universities, research organisations and companies on European programme participation.
The programme addressed a question that sits at the centre of Georgia's performance in Horizon Europe: how research results reach the market, and how public policy, funding and support structures build durable links between research and business. Austria offers a useful reference point because it treats these as a single connected system rather than a set of separate instruments.
Participants met the three Austrian federal ministries responsible for research and innovation, BMIMI, BMWET and BMFWF, and heard from BMEIA on science diplomacy and international R&I cooperation. The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) presented its funding instruments and its support services for Horizon Europe applicants, including the work of the Austrian NCP network. The Austrian Council for Sciences, Technology and Innovation (FORWIT) presented its monitoring role and its dashboard of R&I indicators, among them measures of science-business collaboration.
Austrian companies including FREQUENTIS, TTTech, Infineon, AVL List and AT&S set out their own experience of applying for and implementing Horizon Europe projects, and explained what European cooperation contributes to their technology development. Hearing this directly from industry, rather than from programme administrators, was among the more valuable parts of the week.
The delegation also examined institutional practice at TU Wien and the University for Continuing Education Krems, covering research management, industry partnerships, technology transfer and spin-out pathways. At TU Wien this included visits to the Pilot Factory, the Center for AI and Machine Learning, the Innovation Incubation Center and the Technikum. At the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), participants looked at how basic research connects to knowledge transfer and commercialisation, including the VISTA Science Experience Center and an exchange at XISTA Innovation on support for science-based spin-offs. At the AI:AT Factory, the programme covered trustworthy AI and its legal, regulatory and ethical dimensions, with presentations from Infineon, AVL List and Fraunhofer, and pitches from the start-ups QBDC, Zenta and Flexam.
The delegation attended the FFG Forum, Austria's main annual research and innovation conference, and held a dedicated discussion with INVEST in AUSTRIA of the Austrian Business Agency on investment-promotion services for innovative companies.
Relevance for Georgian stakeholders
Two points stand out for the organisations GIRI works with. First, Austria's support structures treat Horizon Europe participation as an outcome of a functioning national innovation system, not as a standalone application exercise. Second, technology transfer offices, incubation facilities and spin-out support are resourced as permanent institutional functions, which is what allows universities to bring research results towards the market consistently rather than case by case.
GIRI will draw on these examples in its advisory and training work with Georgian universities, research organisations and companies, particularly on building industry participation in Horizon Europe consortia. The visit also produced new contacts with Austrian counterparts and with delegates from the other partner countries, several of which may support future joint applications.
The study visit was coordinated by Silvia Bojinova, Team Leader for Interinstitutional and Multilateral Relations, Unit 0.3, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission. It was organised with the support of the Global Service Facility, with ZSI and Civitta contributing to preparation and delivery.
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