Download | 2024 English Executive Summary – Framework for Spin-offs for Austrian Universities and Research Insitutions
In the course of an increasingly dynamic knowledge and innovation society, academic spin-offs are gaining ever greater importance in Austria. These companies, founded directly from the research and university environment, play a crucial role in transferring scientific findings and technologies into marketable applications and products. Prior to initiating the project, a comprehensive survey of 31 academic spin-offs was conducted to gather baseline data and insights, which served as the foundation for the project’s goals and direction. Against this background, the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research commissioned New Venture Scouting to develop coordinated guidelines for an optimized spin-off process. The project, which started in June 2023 and was completed in March 2024, aimed to develop a comprehensive guide to serve as a roadmap for universities, research institutions, and academic founders in Austria.
The spin-off framework was developed in close collaboration with various stakeholders from the spin-off ecosystem – they deserve special thanks. Stakeholders were involved through a concrete working group, the focus group, and an extended committee for input and feedback, the sounding board. The focus group consisted of 47 people and the sounding board of 57 people in total (a detailed overview can be found in the appendix of the spin-off framework):
Focus group:
- Universities | 27 representatives from 14 universities
- Federal ministries | 4 representatives from 2 ministries
- Research institutions | 4 representatives from 3 research institutions
- Universities of applied sciences | 4 representatives from 4 universities of applied sciences
- Experts | 3 representatives from 2 organizations
- Funding institutions | 3 representatives from 2 organizations
- Spin-offs | 2 representatives from 2 academic spin-offs
Sounding board:
- Universities | 19 representatives from 13 universities
- Investors | 7 representatives from 2 organizations
- Funding institutions | 7 representatives from 4 organizations
- Other interest groups | 6 representatives from 4 organizations
- Universities of applied sciences | 6 representatives from 4 universities of applied sciences
- Federal ministries | 5 representatives from 3 ministries
- Research institutions | 4 representatives from 3 research institutions
- Councils | 3 representatives
Together with the stakeholders, a number of challenges were addressed that founders and institutions currently face. Despite the undisputed positive developments in recent years, the spin-off process is sometimes characterized by individual regulations, lack of transparency, and lengthy negotiation processes. These factors can lead to considerable uncertainties that burden both the academic founders and the institutions themselves. The newly developed spin-off framework represents a significant step in addressing these uncertainties and creating clearly defined guidelines for the future. The primary goal is to support and accelerate the spin-off process, increase the quality and number of spin-offs, and at the same time relieve the structures within the universities and research institutions. In this sense, the guidelines serve as a resource for all motivated and committed actors who are already engaged in the topic at various levels. By addressing all Austrian universities and research institutions, the spin-off framework aims to provide broad support for spin-offs across research and teaching. Particular attention is also paid to the subject and research areas that have so far only been reached with little relevant information and support services, including the fields of art as well as the humanities, social sciences, and cultural studies.
The legal framework in Austria already provides a solid basis for an active spin-off strategy, as various national best-practice examples show. The spin-off framework is intended to further strengthen this basis and make an important contribution to creating favorable conditions for the exploitation of research achievements. The ultimate goal is to double the number of economically successful spin-offs in Austria by 2030, in line with the RTI strategy. This would not only benefit the institutions and founders involved, but also Austria as a research location and society as a whole.
The spin-off framework is dedicated to all committed actors in the ecosystem and especially to all academic founders!
