Research Funding
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Research funding

The wide range of services offered by the research support office includes information on internal as well as external research funding. Here you will find information on funding opportunities. The page is currently under construction and will be continuously updated.

We will also be happy to provide you with personal information about the various funding opportunities or advise you on funding options for your project idea. For information on time-limited and thematically specific calls for proposals, register for the PMU research newsletter GRIPS!

 By funding agency

PMU-internal research funding

Regional Funding Programmes

WISS-Projects - Salzburg

The Science and Innovation Strategy 2025 (WISS 2025) sets the focus for research, technology and innovation policy in the state of Salzburg for the next few years.

On a continuous basis, WISS projects can fund research institutions that want to implement a joint project in areas ranging from application-oriented basic research to industrial research in cooperation with at least one Salzburg company.

Projects with eligible costs between 50 000 and approx. 500 000 euros are eligible for funding, depending on the type. The project types are:

  • Awareness measures,
  • feasibility studies, exploratory 
  • Transfer-oriented projects and strengthening of cooperation
  • Technology-oriented research projects
  • Research capacity building and structure-building projects

The grant amounts to a maximum of 50% and can be increased to a maximum of 65% of the eligible costs if the requirements for bonus points are met. The financing share is at least 10% for the funding applicant/research institution and at least 25% for the corporate partner.

Please note: since January 1st 2023 a new R+D directive applies (accessible here). The webpage as well as the submission documents are in the process of being updated. The latter can still be used until further notice.

A new "WISS 2030" strategy paper is also in the process of development right now and will likely be passed in the near future.

 

For more information please contact the research support office.

Salzburg cancer help scholarship

The scholarships awarded by the society "Austrian Cancer Help Salzburg" must support the medical scientific research in the federal state of Salzburg. The support must permit the expansion of an already existing scientific research field in Salzburg and establish new scientific applications, methods and procedures as well as enhance generally the standard of the medical scientific research in Salzburg. The projects funded by the scholarship should mainly be carried out in the federal state Salzburg.

Particularly adequate are request for support to diploma theses, dissertations and postgraduate education. The scholarship can be awarded for all specialised areas of the medicine, the natural sciences and the medical research. A direct oncological relation, if possible with clinical or psycho-oncological relevance, must exist.

Since 2011 there is cooperation between the Austrian Cancer Help Society Salzburg and Paracelsus Medical University in the area of the awarded Salzburg cancer help scholarship. The applications are processed and certified by the Review Board of Paracelsus University jointly with Austrian Cancer Help Salzburg.

Every year, the application deadline ends on 15 September. Please find more detailed information in the guideline (available in German only).

National Funding Programmes

Other national funding opportunities

Austrian Research Foundation

International communication: Provision of travel funds for trips abroad and for inviting scientists to Austria. This program line is primarily aimed at young researchers: therefore, applicants must not have exceeded the age of 40 at the time of submission (excl. three years of parental leave per child).
The following activities can be supported under the program:

  1. Presentation of new research results at congresses, symposia, workshops abroad;
  2. Organization of smaller international symposia, workshops in Austria;
  3. Short-term stays at foreign scientific institutions to learn specific methods and techniques or to work scientifically with otherwise unavailable sources, equipment or materials in the context of a research project; 
  4. Invitation of foreign scientists* to discussions, lectures and similar events, excluding teaching events. A committee of the Scientific Advisory Board of the ÖFG, which meets at least twice per semester, decides on the allocation of funds.

Events of an educational nature such as courses, summer schools, etc. are explicitly excluded from funding, as are projects which, due to their subject matter, can only be carried out abroad.

Only one substantial grant per person and year can be awarded by the ÖFG.

Applicants are obliged to first use the primarily available funding possibilities (university, institute, project funds, etc.) and to state the results of their efforts in this regard in the financing plan.

More deadlines per year: January, March, June, October, November

B&C Private Foundation - Houska Prize

The Houska Prize of the B&C Private Foundation, Austria's largest private prize for applied research, rewards applied projects from university research as well as innovative research achievements of small and medium-sized enterprises in two categories with up to EUR 150 000 each.

A dossier of max. 10 pages for submission requires, in addition to the presentation of the methodical research approach, the innovation content/potential and the contribution to Austria as a business location, also the specification of a business partner intended for the project realization.

The deadline for the Houska Prize is usually the end of November of each year.

EU- and international funding programmes

Horizon Europe - Cluster Health & Missions

All open calls can be found at the Funding and Tenders Portal. Upcoming calls (work programme 2023/24) can be found on the website of the EC. Also check the PMU webinars on the Horizon Europe Cluster Health and the Funding & Tenders Portal.

The approximate topics of the calls are set as so called Destinations, which can be described as "packages of measures" in the work programs to achieve the expected impacts.


Destinations

  1. Staying healthy in a rapidly changing society
  2. Living and working in a health-promoting environment
  3. Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden
  4. Ensuring access to innovative, sustainable and high quality health care
  5. Unlocking the full potential of new tools, technologies and digital solutions for a healthy society
  6. Maintaining an innovative, sustainable and globally competitive health-related industry

Each destination will be implemented by issuing calls.
If you are interested in a topic area, contact the research support office timely to get more information about planned calls!

There are different types of calls:

  • Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) - aimed at generating new knowledge and/or new or improved technologies, products, processes, services or solutions (basic or applied research)
  • Innovation Action (IA) - aimed at creating plans/arrangements/designs for new, modified, or improved products, processes, or services (prototyping, testing, demonstration, piloting, full-scale product validation, and market replication)
  • Coordination and Support Action (CSA) - excluding research and innovation activities, e.g. Standardization, dissemination, awareness and communication, networking, coordination or support services, policy dialogues.

Applications are submitted as part of a consortium (excluding CSAs) comprising at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different Member State or Associated Country, with at least one established in a Member State.
In order to find potential project partners, the European Commission provides a partner search platform. The research support office will be happy to support you as well.

 

EU Cluster Health Info Day:

The EC hosted Cluster Health Info Day takes place regularly. Recordings are available.

 

Missions

The new European Research and Innovation Missions address some of the biggest challenges of our time. The aim is to develop visible solutions within a defined time and budget framework For more information, please contact research support office if you are interested.

EU Mission Info Day:

There are also regular information days on the Missions related calls (incl. Mission Cancer). Again, recordings are available.

EU Mission Brokerage Event:

In temporal proximity to the info days, the network of national contact points usually organizes a virtual brokerage event where researchers have the opportunity to discuss their project idea with potential project partners and to find possible consortium partners. A good opportunity, especially for newcomers, to register with their profile of expertise, select topics of interest, or book 1:1 meetings and pitch projects.

AXA Research Fund

The AXA Research Fund supports academic projects that contribute to a better understanding of uncertainty and provide insights into global risks, in particular with calls for sub-topics in the areas of:

  • Health
  • New technologies
  • Environment
  • Socio-economics

AXA Fellowship

The AXA Fellowship is a funding program that aims to support young, promising researchers on a priority topic that is in line with AXA and society. Projects not directly related to the topics of the call are not eligible. An institution may present only one candidate for the entire institution. Thus, please contact the research support office if you are interested. Institutions can only apply if a call for projects is open. The research program must demonstrate scientific originality and innovative character.

Duration & Budget: Up to 140 000€ will be awarded for the period of 2 years.

AXA Chair

The AXA Chair is the AXA Research Fund's funding program for excellent and established researchers. It aims at

  • the creation of a full-time scientific position in an institution
  • support a significant acceleration in the development of a research field
  • the promotion of a career step of the appointed AXA Professor.

Institutions can propose only one candidate for the whole institution. Thus, please contact the research support office if you are interested.

The prospective chairholder is expected to have

  • has held a doctorate for at least 10 years
  • has worked at the highest scientific level and
  • has demonstrated outstanding research accomplishments.

The research program must demonstrate scientific originality and innovative character.

Duration & Budget: An AXA Chair is funded with 200 000€ per year for a period of 5 years.

 By target group

Funding for research networks (institutional level)

The following calls have in common that the application has an increased coordination effort. They usually require applications by consortia as well as a multi-year commitment by the research institution. Please contact the research support office if you are interested.


Datenbases for Funding possibilities

Research funding databases to assist in attracting external funding:

Grants.at

grants.at is Austria's largest free online database for scholarships and research funding for all scientific fields. The funding opportunities for students, graduates and researchers range from classic scholarships, grants and prizes to comprehensive national, European and international research funding programs.

Förderkompass

The "Förderkompass" (Funding Compass) is a free service of the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) and covers all state, federal and EU funding in the field of application-oriented technological research.