OEAD GMBH - AGENTUR FUR BILDUNG UND INTERNATIONALISIERUNG

Their core work

OeAD is Austria's national agency for education and internationalization, operating as the backbone of the EURAXESS network in Austria. They provide practical support services for international researchers — helping with mobility, career development, job placement, and social integration into European research institutions. Their work focuses on making Europe an attractive destination for global research talent by removing bureaucratic barriers and connecting researchers with funding opportunities, industry partners, and support networks.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Early work (2015–2018) centered on building and improving core EURAXESS services — researcher mobility, job listings, funding information, and gender-balanced career support. From 2018 onward, the focus broadened significantly: social integration of refugees and minorities entered the picture with BRiDGE II, while EURAXESS TOP IV added industry engagement and network optimization. The latest project (EURAXESS Hubs, 2021) signals a shift toward regional talent hub models, moving from centralized service delivery to distributed, locally embedded researcher support.

OeAD is moving from traditional researcher mobility administration toward a broader talent ecosystem role — integrating industry connections, refugee inclusion, and decentralized hub models.

How they like to work

OeAD operates exclusively as a participant, never as a coordinator — consistent with their role as a national node in pan-European networks rather than a project initiator. With 52 unique partners across 40 countries in just 5 projects, they work in very large, geographically distributed consortia typical of Coordination and Support Actions. This makes them an experienced, low-friction partner who knows how large EU networks function and can reliably deliver their national component.

Remarkably broad network for a small project portfolio: 52 unique partners across 40 countries, reflecting their role as a node in the EURAXESS pan-European network. Their connections span nearly all EU and associated countries, making them a gateway to the Austrian research ecosystem.

What sets them apart

OeAD is not a research performer — they are a national research support infrastructure. This makes them uniquely valuable for any consortium that needs an Austrian partner with deep connections to the country's universities, research institutions, and policy bodies. Their combination of researcher mobility expertise, refugee integration experience, and industry engagement gives them a rare cross-cutting profile in the research support landscape.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EURAXESS TOP IV
  Largest funded project (EUR 99,076) and represents the maturation of EURAXESS services with new industry engagement and social integration dimensions.
• BRiDGE II
  Addresses the politically and socially significant challenge of integrating refugee researchers into European careers — a distinctive humanitarian dimension rare in H2020 portfolios.
• EURAXESS Hubs
  Most recent project piloting a new decentralized talent hub model, signaling the future direction of European researcher support infrastructure.