History

A summarized  selection of milestones and highlights in the development of the company can be found under the history heading. This is intended to provide a brief overview of JOANNEUM RESEARCH activities in all their various forms. In addition to a selection of the awards received and new locations established, you will also find a review of the international activities that JOANNEUM RESEARCH engages in together with a description of the legal form and structure of the company.

2021

  • New Managing Director: DI Dr. Heinz Mayer succeeds Univ.-Prof. DI Dr. tech. Wolfgang Pribyl, MBA, on the first of September and takes over the management of Austria's second largest non-university research organisation with headquarters in Graz.

2020

  • LIFE – Center for Climate, Energy and Society, which was founded in 2016, has been an institute since January 2020.

2019

  • Opening of the new research building of ROBOTICS, the Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics, in the Lakeside Science & Technology Park in Klagenfurt on Lake Wörth (Carinthia). Including the accredited ROBOTICS Evaluation Lab: It is the first and only test center for robot safety in Austria. State-of-the-art calibrated measuring equipment is used and the entire testing process is carried out under quality assurance measures in accordance with ISO / IEC-17025.

2018

  • The province of Burgenland has purchased via the Landesholding Burgenland 5% of the share capital of JOANNEUM RESEARCH. The new ownership structure of JOANNEUM RESEARCH: 80,75% province of Styria, 14,25% BABEG – Kärntner Betriebsansiedelungs- & Beteiligungsgesellschaft, 5% Landesholding Burgenland.
  • Foundation of COREMED – Cooperative Centre for Regenerative Medicine

2016

  • Foundation of "JR-AquaConSol GmbH" out of RESOURCES
  • Spin off "EPIG GmbH" out of research group "Health Sciences"
  • Spin off "decide Clinial Software GmbH" out of research group "Biomedical Technology and Monitoring"
  • Foundation of LIFE – Center of Climate, Energy and Society

2015

  • The province of Carinthia has purchased via its holding company BABEG 15 % of the share capital of JOANNEUM RESEARCH. This is carried out by a general capital increase and by the purchase of those shares formerly held by TNO. The new ownership structure of JOANNEUM RESEARCH: 85 % province of Styria, 15 % BABEG – Kärntner Betriebsansiedelungs- & Beteiligungsgesellschaft.
  • Foundation of ROBOTICS – Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics in Klagenfurt
  • Spin off "Geo 5 GmbH" out of research group "Geophysik & Geothermie"

2014

  • Relocation to the new Centre for Knowledge and Technology Transfer in Medicine (ZWT)

2013     

  • Opening of the new research and laboratory building W.E.I.Z. IV
  • New JOANNEUM RESEARCH – HEALTH external branch opens in the Vienna research centre “Haus der Forschung”
  • Launch of the new competence development concept for employees
  • Fast Forward Award for JOANNEUM RESEARCH – MATERIALS
  • Establishment of Green Tech Research Styria in cooperation with the Styrian universities, the FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences, the Federation of Austrian Industries , the Economic Chamber and the Province of Styria

2012     

  • Membership in the Integration Partnership Styria
  • EARTO Innovation Prize 2012 for JOANNEUM RESEARCH – HEALTH
  • Twentieth anniversary of the Wagna Research Station
  • Organisation of the EURIPIDES Forum 2012

2011

  • Univ.-Prof. DI Dr. Wolfgang Pribyl, MBA is appointed CEO
  • Fast Forward Award for JOANNEUM RESEARCH – HEALTH
  • Establishment of the Forum DIGITAL
  • Dedication of the new R2R pilot plant

2010     

  • Institute restructuring in the research units: MATERIALS, HEALTH, DIGITAL, RESOURCES and POLICIES
  • Move into the new company headquarters on the location Leonhardstraße in Graz
  • EARTO Innovation Prize 2010
  • Austrian State Prize for Transport
  • Woman Award 2010 for the “Job and Children” category
  • Presentation of the “Styrian Climate Atlas”

2009     

  • Establishment of the Joint Institute for Innovation Policy in cooperation with TNO, VTT and TECNALIA with its headquarters in Brussels
  • Conclusion of a cooperation agreement with the Medical University of Graz
  • Establishment of Future Lab
  • Fast Forward Award for JOANNEUM RESEARCH – DIGITAL
  • Students and professors of Brown University / USA visit JOANNEUM RESEARCH

2008     

  • Approval for the “JOANNEUM RESEARCH Strategic Master Plan” by shareholders, the Province of Styria and TNO
  • Start-up of the JOANNEUM RESEARCH small and medium sized companies research portal
  • Workshop on R&D and Innovation in the Western Balkan Countries – Challenges, Programmes, Partners
  • Membership of the Austrian Traffic Telematics Cluster
  • Establishment of the Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering GmbH (RCPE)
  • Presentation of the natural cosmetics line Styria Sambucus
  • kids@JR

2007     

  • Opening of the Impulse Centre for Materials (IZW) in Leoben with branch office of the Laser Center Leoben
  • A cooperation agreement is concluded with the Ruder Boškovic Institute
  • Research Austria workshop in Alpbach on technology transfer in the EU Region Alpe-Adria-Pannonia
  • Foundation of the organisation “Young European Associated Researchers” with partners TNO, Sintef, VTT, Vito, KCL and ACR
  • The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC (with the inclusion of specialist scientists from JOANNEUM RESEARCH – Institute for Energy Research)
  • parents@JR
  • 1st Weiz Nano-Business Talk

2006   

  • New JOANNEUM RESEARCH branch office at the “Haus der Forschung”, Vienna
  • Establishment of the NanoTecCenter Weiz Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
  • Establishment of the BioNanoNet Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
  • Cooperation agreement concluded with the Jožef Stefan Institute
  • Austrian State Prize for Multimedia
  • Austrian State Prize for Telematics

2005     

  • Conclusion of the 1st funding agreement with the Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT)
  • Cooperation agreement concluded with Leoben University
  • Construction of the central laboratory for environmental analysis in Graz
  • Establishment of Human.Technology Styria GmbH
  • Initiative for strengthening the potentials for biogenic raw materials (NUBIOR)
  • 20th Postgraduate training course on groundwater tracing techniques in cooperation with Graz University of Technology
  • 1st IIS-Open

2004     

  • TNO Netherlands acquires a shareholding in JOANNEUM RESEARCH
  • Cooperation agreement concluded with Graz University of Technology
  • Collective bargaining agreement concluded and implemented for employees in non-university research (Forschungs-KV)
  • Acquisition of the centre for fundamental research in medicine by JOANNEUM RESEARCH

2003     

  • Official visit of EU Commissar Philippe Busquin
  • Establishment of WATERPOOL Competence Network GmbH
  • International symposium Nanotechnology and LED

2002     

  • Establishment of the virtual vehicle research and competence centre - Virtual Vehicle Research GmbH
  • Establishment of the Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH (PCCL)
  • Establishment of the Christian Doppler Laboratory for innovative functionalised materials in cooperation with Graz University of Technology
  • EARTO annual conference in Graz
  • Start of the EU Initiative EU Region of the Future
  • Establishment of NANONET Styria
  • 1st Mariazell discussion round on ethics in research

2001

  • Official opening of the Weiz location
  • Performance audit of the JOANNEUM RESEARCH by the Austrian Court of Audit
  • Establishment of the Institute for Medical Systems Technology and Health Management
  • 1st intellectual capital audit of the JOANNEUM RESEARCH

2000

  • JOANNEUM RESEARCH becomes a member of EARTO (European Association of Research and Technology Organisations)
  • JOANNEUM RESEARCH working circle within the scope of the Alpbach Technology Forum under the title “Research as a product – putting research results to good use”
  • Implementation of the benchmark project “Performance indicators of European research institutions”

1999

  • Establishment of the Institute for Nanostructured Materials and Photonics
  • Establishment of the for Institute Non-Invasive Diagnostics
  • Establishment of the Materials Centre Leoben Forschung GmbH
  • Research Centre at Hartberg Ecological Industrial Estate is planned

1998     

  • JOANNEUM RESEARCH sponsors the Alpbach Technology Forum
  • Planning of the extension to the Laser Center Leoben begun
  • Start of cooperation with the Styrian Health Insurance and Financing Fund (SKAFF)

1997

  • Dr. Bernhard Pelzl and Mag. Edmund Müller appointed CEOs
  • Start of the regionalisation offensive accompanied by the regional establishment of locations in Frohnleiten, Hartberg, Judenburg and Weiz in the following years

1996     

  • Implementation of the first R&D projects within the scope of the EU ERDF programme
  • Visit by SAAB

1995     

  • Establishment of the Vienna office
  • Certification of the quality management system to ÖNORM EN ISO 9001

1994     

  • The name Forschungsgesellschaft Joanneum Ges.m.b.H. is changed to JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH

1993

  • Establishment of the Polymer Competence Center

1990  

  • The Laser Center Leoben (established 1988) moves to new premises in the Niklasdorf Technology and Training Centre

1987     

  • Constituting meeting of the Supervisory Board

1986     

  • Establishment of Forschungsgesellschaft Joanneum Ges.m.b.H.

1978     

  • Establishment of Forschungsgesellschaft Joanneum
    Continued development in both the range of work and the effective geographic area that is served results in the transfer of the Graz Research Centre to the Forschungsgesellschaft Joanneum in 1978. From this date until 1986 a complete reorganisation of the structure and activities was undertaken. By the early 1980s the Forschungsgesellschaft Joanneum had already grown to become the second largest non-university research organisation in Austria.
    The following institutes were established within the scope of the Forschungsgesellschaft Joanneum: Institute for Preventive Medicine, the Institute for Environmental Geology and Applied Geography, the Institute for Geothermy and Hydrogeology, the section for raw materials research, the Institute for Applied Geophysics, the Laboratory for Reservoir Engineering and Technology, The Laboratory for Chemistry and Biology, the Institute for Surfaces Research, the working group for polymer research, the Institute for Metrology, the Institute for Digital Image Processing und Graphics, the Institute for Mechanical Documentation, The Institute for Applied Systems Technology.

1968     

  • Establishment of the Graz Research Centre
    From 1968 to 1977, several new subject areas were developed and the research units, institutes and laboratories for these were created as application-oriented additions to the universities: the Institute for Environmental Research, the Institute for X-ray Fine Structure Research, the Institute for Construction Physics and Windows Technology, the Working Group for Space Research, the Working Group for Geothermal Energy, the Section for Mathematics and Statistics, the Association for Hydrogeological Research, the Laboratory for Colloids Research, the Study Group for International Analysis (Laxenburg), the Laboratory for Sensor Technology.

The early years

  • The Province of Styria made a strategic long-term investment in research and development for the scientific and industrial location Styria by backing four centres / institutes. Financing for the launch of these projects came from Styria, since it was not available from the federal government.

1965   

  • Establishment of the Reactor Institute

1963     

  • Establishment of the Computer Centre
  • Establishment of the Institute for Low Temperature Research

1950      

  • Establishment of the Centre for Electron Microscopy