austrian research and technology report 2021

• Austrian Research and Technology Reports

The Austrian Research and Technology Reports are status reports to the Austrian parliament on the nation’s federally funded research, technology and innovation. The reports draw on current data to present an overview of specific trends in research, technology and innovation (RTI) and show how Austria measures up internationally in select categories. The reports were commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF); the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK); and the Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW).

• Austrian Research and Technology Report 2023 (PDF, 7 MB)
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AUSTRIAN RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY REPORT 2021 FACTSHEET CURRENT TRENDS IN AUSTRIA The Federal Government’s Strategy for Research, Technology The RTI Pact 2021–2023 makes the definition of cross- and Innovation 2030 (RTI Strategy 2030) and the first departmental priorities for research and innovation policy a “Pact on Research, Technology and Innovation 2021–2023” fundamental principle of Austria’s RTI policy. The FoFinaG has (RTI Pact 2021–2023), based on the Research Financing Act created a specific legal basis for research financing that (FoFinaG), were adopted by the Austrian Council of Ministers establishes a stable institutional governance framework. This on 23 December 2020. framework encompasses the ten central research and research funding institutions: Targets and key fields of activity in the RTI Strategy 2030 2020: income Research institutions 2020: employees Targets Key fields of activity in €1,000 Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH (AIT) 161,252 1,298 Become an Expand research and technology infrastructure (RTIS) and facilitate access Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) 94,652 861 international innovation leader Increase participation in EU missions, EU Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (OeAW) 194,723 1,867 partnerships and IPCEIs and strenghten Silicon Austria Labs GmbH (SAL) 21,680 188 Austria as an RTI Promotion and strategic targeting of Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG) 30,660 545 location internationalisation 2020: funding/present Research funding institutions value in €1,000 Promote excellence in basic research Focus on Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft mbH (aws) 128,000* effectiveness and Support applied research and its impact on the economy and society Christian Doppler Forschungsgesellschaft (CDG) 19,254 excellence Austrian Science Fund (FWF) 255,479 RTI for achievement of the climate targets OeAD-GmbH – Agency for Education and Internationalisation 50,548 Develop and promote human resources Focus on Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) 461,948 knowledge, talents Support researchers and students in developing * present value including non-RTI-related funding: €4.09 billion and skills an international outlook According to the Research Financing Act (FoFinaG) the monitoring of these central institutions forms an integral part of the Further developing the innovation system and leveraging all Research and Technology Report. In addition to key figures and RTI-related potential will require the public sector to launch a an outlook, an overall systemic picture of the institutions is wide range of initiatives and measures. These include: drawn on the basis of eight indicators:

• IP Strategy

• Strategy for the Future for Life Sciences and Austria as a Location for Quality assurance

Pharmaceuticals and evaluation • Location Strategy 2040 • Foreign Trade Strategy • Creative Industries Strategy for Austria • Excellence Initiative Human resources Funding and and qualification • Open Innovation Strategy for Austria third-party funds

• Research, Technology and Innovation Strategy “Mobility 2040” Output, innovation • National Mobility and Internationalisation Strategy for Higher Education 2020–2030 and excellence • Public Procurement Promoting Innovation Indicators • “Circular Economy” RTI initiative Internationalisation • Austria’s ambition to help build up EU defence research Gender and • Austrian security research programme KIRAS Knowledge and technology transfer

promotion of equality The evaluation culture is firmly anchored in Austria’s RTI policy. See www.fteval.at for insights.

with society Communication and interaction

1 FINANCING OF R&D AND INNOVATION

Austrian companies’ contributions to R&D expenditure in 2020 €12.14 41.4% amounted to BN €5.03 bn 28% The federal government, SPENT ON regional governments and OF AUSTRIA’S ECONOMIC 33.5% RESEARCH AND “others” contributed GROWTH IS DRIVEN BY THE EXPERIMENTAL €4.07 bn IMPACT OF THE DEVELOPMENT 16.5% Abroad* INNOVATION SYSTEM 8.6% Research Premium * mainly comprises R&D funded by foreign companies on behalf of their Austrian subsidiaries as well as return flows from the EU’s Research and Innovation Framework Programmes

An increase in public sector expenditure for R&D by €1 can increase GDP by €6 in the long term COMPANY LEVEL

percentage points higher employment growth of Austrian 6.7 companies funded by the FFG (7.1%) compared to the control A VERSATILE, GOOD MIX group (0.4%) OF FUNDING INCREASES positive difference in percentage points for turnover at FFG-funded THE SURVIVAL CHANCES 8.3 Austrian companies (10.8%) compared to the control group (2.5%) OF COMPANIES IN AUSTRIA 90.8 percent of FFG-funded companies survive

Funding of R&D carried out in Austria and the development of R&D intensity, 2010–2020

12 3.0 10 2.5 3.23% 8 2.0 R&D INTENSITY 6 1.5

R&D intensity IN AUSTRIA 4 1.0

in bn € R&D expenditure IN 2020 — A NEW HIGH, 2 0.5 IN PART DUE TO 0 0.0 A DECLINING GDP 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Federal government Regional governments Research premium Business enterprise sector Abroad Other R&D intensity Source: STATISTICS AUSTRIA, global estimate as at 25 April 2021

2 INTERNATIONAL RANKING Austria is a Strong Innovator in the upper midfield

Patent intensity (triadic patents) by country of origin, Number of scientific (citable) articles in all disciplines, standardised by number of R&D employees, 2018 standardised by country population, 2019

1. SWE 8.4 1. DNK 4.8

2. NLD 6.9 2. SWE 4.0

3. DEU 6.7 3. FIN 3.8

5. AUT 5.3 8. AUT 2.9

Source: OECD (2020a) Source: Scimago Journal & Country Rank (2020)

Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) 2020

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 Connectivity Human capital Internet use Integration of digital technology Digital public services Source: European Commission (2020i)

Austria’s innovation capability compared to the EU average Patent intensity Co-funding 1 Innovation indicator Digital Economy and Society Scientific articles 0.9 Index 2020 0.8 Co-publications 0.7 Connectivity Ranked 9 of 35 Ranked 12 of 27 0.6 0.5 European Innovation Global Innovation 0.4 Cooperation with Human capital Scoreboard 2020 Index 2020 external partners 0.3 (digital) 0.2 Ranked 8 of 27 Ranked 19 of 131 0.1 0 Cooperation Internet use with companies EMPIRICAL ANALYSES SHOW Integration of Delegation of power digital technology A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN RESEARCH AND Economic complexity Digital public services DEVELOPMENT PERFORMANCE Training rate Tertiary degrees AUT AND CRISIS RESILIENCE RTI indicators Digitalisation indicators Innovation capability indicators Ø EU-28 Source: iit graphic

3 AUSTRIA IN HORIZON 2020

Funding amounts awarded as part of Horizon 2020 Proportion of Austrian participations in Horizon 2020 by sector

36.9% of participations are from the €0.69 bn business enterprise sector €1.78 38.8% was raised by Austrian higher BN education institutions €0.55 bn 29.2% are from the higher TOTAL 30.7% by Austrian business education sector HORIZON 2020 enterprises PROJECT FUNDING €0.45 bn 25.2% by non-university ALLOCATED TO 23.2% are from the non-university research institutions research sector AUSTRIA 7.6% are from other sectors 3.1% are from the public sector

Success rate of Horizon 2020 participations by country

1. BEL 19.3% 17.6% 2. FRA 17.8% SUCCESS RATE FOR THE 2014–2020 PROGRAMME PERIOD, PUTTING AUSTRIA 3. AUT 17.6% THIRD BEHIND BELGIUM AND FRANCE

Source: FFG

HORIZON 2020: AUSTRIAN PARTICIPATION IN CLIMATE-RELATED RESEARCH

THE FIELD OF THE FIELD OF CLIMATE-RELATED* CLIMATE-FOCUSED* RESEARCH RESEARCH ATTRACTED FUNDING FOR ATTRACTED FUNDING FOR 552 PROJECTS AND 299 PROJECTS AND 883 PARTICIPATIONS 462 PARTICIPATIONS WITH A TOTAL AMOUNT OF WITH A TOTAL AMOUNT OF €242.9 MN €190.9 MN * Climate protection is one of the main objectives of the * Climate protection is the primary objective of the research projects research projects 4 CLIMATE RESEARCH IN AUSTRIA

As part of the Agenda 2030, climate-related research is funded SINCE IT WAS FOUNDED IN 2007, through various programmes from several federal government agencies. In addition to the central research promotion KLIEN SUPPORTED agencies – the FWF and the FFG – the Climate and Energy Fund (KLIEN) also plays a key role. KLIEN focuses its funding 144,000 PROJECTS on the topics of energy, mobility and heating transition and on WITH TOTAL FUNDING IN EXCESS OF climate change and adaptation, operating on a purely thematic basis. In the process, it works with various different funding channels (e.g. FFG, Kommunalkredit Public Consulting (KPC) €1.5 BN and the Environment Agency Austria).

Locations of (non-)university research institutions in Austria and their research priorities of relevance to the climate and environment

Medical University of Vienna Austrian Agency for Health and University of Natural University research institutions Food Safety (AGES) Resources and Life Sciences Weatherpark GmbH Vienna University of Economics Non-university research institutions and Business Geological Survey of Austria University of Veterinary Federal Research Centre for Forests Medicine Vienna (BFW) University of Vienna Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG) Environment Agency Austria Danube University Krems Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) The Central Institute for Meteorology Johannes Kepler University Linz Institute for Industrial Ecology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) University of Arts and Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) Industrial Design Linz Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO) Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) Georesearch Forschungsges. mbH

International Institute for University of Salzburg Applied Systems Analysis

WaterCluster Lunz University of Innsbruck

University of Leoben

University of Graz Graz University of Technology

Green Tech Cluster Styria Joanneum Research alpS GmbH

University of Klagenfurt Quelle: CCCA (2020)

The central programme for research into the effects of climate Founded in 2011, the Climate Change Centre Austria (CCCA) change is the Austrian Climate Research Programme (ACRP), functions as contact point for research, policymakers, the launched in 2008 by the Climate and Energy Fund (KLIEN) in media and the public on all matters to do with climate research collaboration with the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, in Austria. A recent survey by the CCCA in higher education Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology and non-university research institutions in Austria showed that (BMK). The ACRP focuses primarily on researching the national many of these institutions declare research priorities of characteristics, impacts and adaptation requirements of relevance to the climate and environment. climate change. In the 12 calls for proposals issued so far, 249 projects have received funding of €61.4 million in total.

5 COVID-19 RESEARCH 114 PROJECTS IN 25 FOCUS AREAS RECEIVED

FUNDING TOTALLING €80.5 MN FROM THE FIVE LARGEST

Biology and medical sciences (11)

Humanities and social sciences (4) FUNDING PROVIDERS Natural and technical sciences (1) isinfection (3) D

5.1 32(scitsongaiD ) The COVID-19 pandemic has posed an 16 unprecedented challenge for policy makers in research and technology all 25 over the world. Huge amounts of work have been done on a global ) on (4) level to develop effective vac- Vaccines (2 cines and medications, in order 53 to curb the spread of the pan- 1 Prevention and control of infecti demic as quickly as possible. materials (8) Protective Number of funded Funding volume Safety and security (1) The volume of funding and projects by in € millions number of projects funded as focus area part of Horizon 2020 relate to Therapeutics (12) those projects that were car- ried out either under Austrian FWF leadership or with Austrian FFG Expansion of test capacities (3) involvement. Ed 43.9 WWTF ucation and school (3) 24 Under Horizon 2020 standing and fighting t BMBWF In addition to epidemiology and Epidem biomedicine, social science disciplines iology 8 Understa he virus (4) have also played a major role in for- and public h 13 E co Behav mulating appropriate measures to combat n n 5.1 Di om ty in th di Medical technologies, d (4) ng socie Rapid y and ealth (7) the virus and mitigate its effects. The COVID-19 Trea iour Co D a Prevalence ools (4) ron Effectiveness tment (1) ata availability and economic impact (3) i l l repurposing of m cs (1)agnost soc, o pandemic has consequently resulted in an unparalleled gist avirus and sch ial and econo i mobilisation of researchers, across many countries and cs (3) e crisis many disciplines. of

igi mic impacts of therapeutics anufacturi for vital medical supplies &equipment (1) tal tools and Austrian research is playing a prominent role in the virus

international response to COVID-19. As in other affected amongst

countries, substantial public funds have been provided for artificial intelligence (3) the outbreak responses (2)

research into the SARS-CoV2-virus and its effects on our the

health, social and economic wellbeing. By April 2020 the Austrian majority of this financial support had already been allocated

to understanding, containing and combating the virus. population

Processes for awarding and distributing funds were also

adapted and accelerated with appropriate flexibility.

• Introduction
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Austrian Annual Report on Research and Technology

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02 INTRODUCTION

The annual Austrian Research and Technology Report covers topical issues of national and international research and technology policy. It analyses current development trends and provides comprehensive data on research and development as well as information on special topics.

The legal basis for publication of the annual Research and Technology Report is contained in the Research Organisation Act, Federal Law Gazette No. 341/1981. Pursuant to § 8(1) of the Act, a progress report on federally funded research, technology and innovation activities in Austria is submitted to the Austrian Parliament by the Federal Minister of Science and Research in cooperation with the Federal Minister of Transport, Innovation and Technology by 1 June each year. Pursuant to § 8(2), the Federal Government has to submit a comprehensive report on the requirements of research, technology and innovation in Austria to the Austrian Parliament at intervals of three years.

03 KEY DOCUMENTS

• DOCUMENT Austrian Research and Technology Report 2019
• DOCUMENT Austrian Research and Technology Report 2018
• DOCUMENT Austrian Research and Technology Report 2017
• DOCUMENT Austrian Research and Technology Report 2016
• DOCUMENT Austrian Research and Technology Report 2015
• DOCUMENT Austrian Research and Technology Report 2014

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How parents’ views of their kids’ screen time, social media use changed during COVID-19

When Pew Research Center fielded a survey of U.S. parents at the beginning of March 2020, we knew the conversation around children and technology was at the forefront of many parents’ minds. Yet no one knew just how relevant that conversation would become in the months ahead.

The first year of the coronavirus pandemic brought a variety of challenges for parents, from helping their kids manage technology to increased screen time. Those with young children wrestled with a lack of child care and worried about their kids’ social skills – concerns that are still relevant today as schools navigate changing circumstances, parents manage changes in where and how they work , and families await vaccines for children under 5.

In April 2021, the Center followed up with many of the same parents we surveyed in March 2020 to check in on their children’s use of technology and social media during the pandemic. This second survey focused on parents who had a kid age 11 or younger in 2020, and it was fielded at a time when some schools were temporarily reverting to virtual learning and vaccines were not yet approved for children under 12. Below, we take a closer look at what these parents told us about their young child, including how the experiences they reported in 2021 compared with their responses from 2020.

Pew Research Center has long studied changes in parenting and family dynamics, as well as the adoption of digital technologies. This analysis of parents’ experiences with and attitudes about their children’s tech use is based on data from 1,681 parents who had at least one child age 11 or younger as of March 2020 and participated in two surveys conducted on the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP) between spring 2020 and 2021 – coinciding with the first year of the coronavirus outbreak. The first survey was conducted March 2-15, 2020, and the second was conducted April 12-18, 2021.

The questions that are the focus of this analysis asked parents to think specifically about one of their children who was age 11 or younger in March 2020. If the parent had more than one child age 11 or younger at the time of the first survey, they were instructed to think about either their oldest or youngest child in this age group.

The following terminology is used in this analysis:

Parents of a young child: Refers to parents who had at least one child age 11 or younger when first interviewed in March 2020.

Parents of a child age 0 to 4: Refers to parents whose randomly assigned child was under age 5 (0 to 4) in March 2020.

Parents of a child age 5 to 11: Refers to parents whose randomly assigned child was age 5 to 11 in March 2020.

Everyone who is part of this analysis is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way, nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. Data from the ATP is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

The data for this analysis is also adjusted to represent the population of parents with one or more children ages 17 or younger living in their household as of March 2020, and focuses on the subset who had at least one child age 11 or younger at the time, regardless of whether that child lived in their household (referred to as a “young child” in this analysis).

Here are the questions, responses and methodology used for this analysis.

More use of digital devices and some social media sites

Whether a result of the pandemic or simply of other events or changes in a child’s life, the year following our first survey in March 2020 saw a rising share of parents who said their young child had used digital devices and social media.

In April 2021, about eight-in-ten parents of a child who was age 11 or younger at the time of the first interview (81%) said their kid ever used or interacted with a tablet computer – even if just to watch videos or listen to music – up from 68% in March 2020. About seven-in-ten (71%) said the same thing about their kid’s use of a smartphone, up from 63% the year before. And 51% of parents with a young child said their child used a game console or portable game device in 2021, up slightly from 2020.

Among the four social media sites the survey covered, the largest share of parents reported that the young child they were asked about used TikTok: 21% said this in April 2021, up from 13% in 2020. There were small changes in the share saying their child used Instagram or Facebook, while Snapchat use stayed virtually the same. And the share who said their young child used a social media site other than TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram roughly doubled between 2020 and 2021, from 8% to 17%.

Social media use differed dramatically depending on the age of the child being followed over time; for example, relatively few parents who had a child under 5 when the pandemic began said this child used social media in either 2020 or 2021.

But for some social media sites, there were changes for kids on both ends of this age range. Among parents who had a child age 5 to 11 at the outset of the pandemic, the share who said this child used TikTok rose 11 percentage points (21% in 2020 to 32% in 2021). For parents with a child who was younger than 5 at the time of the first interview, there was a 4-point uptick from 1% to 5%.

There were also double-digit increases in the share of parents answering about a child who was under 5 in March 2020 who said this child used a tablet (51% in 2020 to 69% in 2021) or a game console or portable game device (16% to 29%) over this period. Still, parents of a child this age were far less likely than those whose child was age 5 to 11 at the outset of the pandemic to report use of these digital devices in either year.

Other variations in kids’ use of devices and social media were also apparent. Even as many kids started using tech in 2021, others were not using these things in 2021 when they had in 2020. Among parents with a young child who said their kid had used a smartphone in 2020, for instance, 14% said their child was not using one in 2021. Similarly, 19% of parents who said their young child had used a game console or portable game device in 2020 said that child was not doing so in 2021.

Growing parental concerns about screen time

Amid these changes, parents increasingly expressed worry about the amount of time their child was spending on devices.

When asked about screen time in April 2021, a quarter of all parents of a young child said that their child spent too much time on a smartphone; about the same share (23%) said their child spent too much time playing video games; and about one-in-ten (8%) said the same about time on social media sites.

For parents whose child used a gaming console or portable game device in both 2020 and 2021, the share who said that child spent too much time playing video games rose 20 points over the first year of the pandemic, from 31% to 51%.

There was also a 14-point jump in the share of parents who said their smartphone-using young child spent too much time on it, from 28% to 42% among those whose child used one in both 2020 and 2021.

And while majorities of parents whose child used these devices in 2020 initially said their child’s time on them was about right, some parents reported different views on screen time a year later when reinterviewed.

Among parents who thought their child’s time playing video games was appropriate in 2020, 44% said the same in 2021 – but a third said that their child was now spending too much time doing this. Similarly, among those who said their child’s time on smartphones was about right in 2020, about a quarter (26%) said in 2021 that their child was now spending too much time this way; 55% said it was still about right.

Some changes in parents’ management of screen time

In both March 2020 and April 2021, majorities of parents whose child was 5 to 11 at the start of the pandemic said they ever checked the websites their child visits or the mobile apps they use; limited the times of day or length of time when this child can use screens; or took away the child’s smartphone or internet privileges as punishment. But the patterns of change over time also show some movement in parents’ approaches.

Some 16% of parents with a child this age said they did not limit screen time for this child in 2021, despite having said they did so in 2020. Conversely, 8% of these parents reported limiting their child’s screen time in 2021, after having not done this in 2020. There was a similar pattern when it comes to taking away smartphone or internet privileges: 14% of parents who had a 5- to 11-year-old child at the start of the pandemic didn’t do this in 2021 even though they had in 2020, compared with 6% who moved in the opposite direction. The Center’s other work also reflects these changing approaches to screen time – some parents loosened their rules during the pandemic, while others became stricter.

Some parents whose child was 5 to 11 in March 2020, for example, became more attentive to what their child was doing online over time: 15% of these parents said they checked their kid’s website or app usage in 2021 – and that they had not done this in 2020.

Changes in parenting approaches also extended to the times of day children could use screens. For example, about half of parents of a 5- to 11-year-old child in 2020 (48%) said in 2021 that they would allow their child to use mobile devices just before bedtime. Some had loosened their stance from a year prior: 16% reported being OK with this in 2021 after saying the opposite in 2020. On the other hand, 8% tightened their restrictions – they were no longer OK with their child using mobile devices just before bed. Some 43% of parents consistently were not OK with it, while 32% consistently were.

The unique approach of this study – surveying parents about a specific child and looking at how individual parents’ responses changed over time – provides a window into children’s pandemic experiences with technology. Still, parents may not always know what devices their children use or exactly how much time they spend on them. And beyond these findings, it is important to note that screen time can take many forms and that there are healthy debates about whether and how screen time affects children.

Note: Here are the questions, responses and methodology used for this analysis.

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Colleen McClain is a research associate focusing on internet and technology research at Pew Research Center

59% of U.S. parents with lower incomes say their child may face digital obstacles in schoolwork

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Austrian Research and Technology Report 2023

Section: Research Policy & Development

The Austrian Research and Technology Report 2023 provides an overview of Austria’s federally funded research, technology and innovation (RTI). Besides the presentation of recent trends in research policy, covering the status of implementation of the RTI Strategy 2030 and the research-relevant sub-strategies as well as the latest developments in higher education, the report analyses Austria’s RTI performance at national and international level based on recent data from international rankings, from the statistical surveys on the funding and implementation of research and experimental development (R&D) and the 2023 global estimate. This year’s report focuses on supporting the green and digital transformation in research and economy. The major societal challenges – especially in the areas of climate protection and use of resources – show the significance and importance of basic and application-oriented research in overcoming crises.

Suggested citiation: Ecker, B., Kaufmann, P., Schuch, K. Sturn, D. et al. (2023). Austrian Research and Technology Report 2023. Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy. Vienna. DOI: 10.22163/fteval.2023.617

Authors: Philipp, S. , Schuch, K. , Sturn, D. , Brigitte Ecker (coordination, WPZ Research), Philip Brunner (IWI), Tobias Dudenbostel(Technopolis), Simone Maria Grabner (Austrian Institute for SME Research), Ernst Andreas Hartmann (iit), David Heckenberg...

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• Publication: Österreichischer Forschungs- und Technologiebericht 2022

Category: Bücher

Publication Date: 2023

Procurement: Online (download)

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