FONDS ZUR FÖRDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTLICHEN FORSCHUNG

Their core work

FWF is Austria's central funding agency for basic research — the Austrian Science Fund. Within H2020, FWF acts as a national funding body participating in ERA-NET Cofund actions, pooling Austrian research funding with other European agencies to launch joint transnational calls across disciplines. Their role is to co-finance and coordinate national contributions to pan-European research programmes in health, environment, quantum technologies, humanities, and social sciences. They are the gateway for Austrian researchers to access coordinated European funding in fields from rare diseases to biodiversity.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2014–2018), FWF focused heavily on health-related ERA-NETs (rare diseases, cardiovascular, systems medicine, cancer) and humanities programmes, alongside initial biodiversity and quantum technology calls. From 2019 onward, the portfolio shifted noticeably toward environmental topics — biodiversity-climate intersections, ecosystem restoration, and socio-ecological governance — while also deepening commitments to quantum technologies (QuantERA II) and emerging ICT (CHIST-ERA IV). The overall trajectory shows a broadening from health-dominated funding toward environment and digital sciences, reflecting Austrian and European research policy priorities.

FWF is increasingly investing in biodiversity-climate research and quantum technologies, making it a strong co-funding partner for future ERA-NETs in these domains.

How they like to work

FWF never coordinates — all 23 projects are as participant, which is typical for a national funding agency joining ERA-NET consortia rather than leading them. They operate in large consortia (248 unique partners across 45 countries), acting as one of many national funding bodies pooling resources. This means working with FWF is straightforward: they bring Austrian national funding to the table and ensure Austrian research teams can participate in joint calls.

FWF has collaborated with 248 unique partners across 45 countries, reflecting the broad multilateral nature of ERA-NET consortia where dozens of national funding agencies join forces. Their network spans virtually all EU and associated countries, with no narrow geographic bias.

What sets them apart

FWF is Austria's principal basic research funder, giving it a unique role: it does not conduct research itself but enables Austrian participation in pan-European programmes. For consortium builders, having FWF on board means guaranteed access to Austrian co-funding for joint transnational calls. Their consistent presence across 22 ERA-NETs in diverse fields makes them one of the most versatile national funding agencies in Horizon 2020.

Highlights from their portfolio

• QuantERA II
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 533,762) and represents FWF's continued bet on quantum technologies as a strategic priority.
• EJP RD
  Second-largest funding (EUR 522,762) and FWF's only COFUND-EJP action, signaling deep commitment to rare disease research infrastructure.
• BiodivRestore
  Part of a four-project biodiversity funding chain (BiodivERsA3 → BiodivScen → BiodivClim → BiodivRestore) showing decade-long commitment to ecosystem research.