Celebrate with us 10 Years of IST Austria
Come and visit our beautiful campus for our 10 Year anniversary event week! We kick off our birthday celebrations with an “Open Campus” a science party for the whole family.
Here are all events at a glance:
May 26, 2019: Open Campus – science party for the whole family
June 4, 2019: 10 years of IST Austria
June 5, 2019: IST Lecture „Science as revolution“ Paul Nurse, The Francis Crick Institute
June 6, 2019: ÖAW-IST Lecture Bernhard Schölkopf, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems
10 Years of IST Austria – A decade of Growth
In the ten years since the opening of the campus, the Institute passed many milestones—in research, in recruitment, in construction, grants and fundraising. Much has already been achieved, but IST Austria still holds big visions for the future, and begins the next ten years still dedicated to creating an institute with world-class science, facilities, and training.
Looking back…
On June 1, 2009, the IST Austria campus opened with 37 employees and great ambitions. The campus comprised the Central Building, intended for the theoretical sciences, and the Raiffeisen Lecture Hall, an architectural landmark that would provide a platform for scientific exchange, as well as the voestalpine Building, the home of the administration. The four faculty members consisted of three computer scientists and one evolutionary biologist, and three more biologists were expected over the course of 2010.
Over the years, the infrastructure has expanded to include three additional laboratory and office buildings, two scientific facility buildings, and a second administration building, as well as structures dedicated to improving campus life and community—a cafeteria, more than 100 apartments, and a kindergarten, among others. From 4, the faculty has increased to 53 professors under contract. The research landscape also broadened: currently, 16 professors conduct research in mathematics and computer science, 26 focus on the life sciences, including biology and neuroscience, and 10 specialize in physics and chemistry.
… and looking forward
The first decade of IST Austria has been marked with rapid growth, and the second decade promises to continue this trend. In October of 2018, the Institute held the groundbreaking ceremony for the fifth laboratory building. Lab Building Five, as it is currently known, will be the home of the chemistry labs, the Graduate School, and the Library. A sixth laboratory building is also in the planning stages; the winning architectural design was selected during 2018.
The Institute has a mission to engage the public with science through outreach and educational programs. The hub for these activities will be the future Visitor Center, which will also serve as a central meeting and information point for everyone who comes to campus. The architect and the design were selected for this project as well.
Another key point in the founding document of the Institute is the importance of technology transfer. To facilitate interaction between scientists and companies, the IST Park, located across the street from the main campus, is being constructed. In the future, several buildings providing offices, lab space, and advanced technical infrastructure will be available to research-intensive enterprises.
The growth in campus infrastructure reflects the expected growth in the number of scientists and staff at IST Austria: by 2026, the number of employees will exceed 1000, including about 90 research groups, which are expected to cover mathematics and computer science, the life sciences, and the physical sciences.
More on IST Austria’s history!
10 Years of IST Austria in numbers
