IST Austria: More research space for the “Rising Star”

Since the opening of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) in 2009, a campus for the natural sciences, mathematics and computer sciences has been set up in Lower Austria, just outside Vienna, at considerable speed. The campus now provides a workplace for almost 700 employees and the necessary infrastructure for cutting-edge research at the highest level. The expansion of the institute, which was identified as a “Rising Star” by the journal Nature this year, will continue at a rapid pace over the next few years.

On the occasion of the ground-breaking ceremony for the fifth laboratory building by Science and Research Minister Heinz Faßmann, Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner, Chairman of IST Austria’s Board of Trustees Claus Raidl, President Thomas Henzinger and Managing Director Georg Schneider, the building projects of the next few years were presented.

Maria Ibáñez, Assistant Professor at IST Austria since September 2018, is the first future user of Lab Building 5. She presented her research projects in the field of functional nanomaterials at the interface between material sciences and chemistry.

The ambitious plan is to open Laboratory Building 5 in 2020. Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner said: “The expansion and further development of IST Austria is of great concern to us in Lower Austria. IST Austria is a very special example of successful cooperation between science and politics. On the political side, we provide optimal framework conditions for science and have respect for and trust in the scientists’ research. But IST Austria is also a successful project in the cooperation between the federal and state governments, for which we have set the course for further successful development with the “Renewal of the Joint Declaration” in January of this year.”

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Science and Research Minister Heinz Faßmann said: “The Nature Index Analysis gave IST Austria a very good report and identified it as one of the institutions that are in the fast lane scientifically. We owe this to the outstanding work of the scientists, whose achievements lay the foundation for the future viability of the research institution. For me, too, IST Austria is a successful example of cooperation between the federal and state governments. We will support this positive trend significantly by further improving the framework conditions for research in Austria. Our RTI strategy also places a strong focus on the topic of excellence in basic research and, through more competition, creates more research excellence at universities and non-university institutions.”

Thomas Henzinger, President of the Institute, concluded: “The achievements of our scientists, the quantity and quality of the scientific output of the Institute are already internationally visible. Only a few weeks ago Nature identified our institute as a “Rising Star”. We are among the world’s most dynamically developing research institutions. The new laboratory building, for which the ground-breaking ceremony took place today, will provide us with the necessary space to continue to grow, open up new research fields and further increase our scientific output.”