‘Technological change in the mobility sector is currently presenting Styrian companies with major challenges. However, the changes also offer opportunities that we must utilise for our location. Local companies and research institutions are already playing a leading role in the development of mobility solutions for the future. As a leading international research centre in the field of mobility, the Virtual Vehicle has a particularly important role to play. This makes it all the more important to secure the centre in its current dimension in the long term. Thanks to the increased commitment of our research organisation JOANNEUM RESEARCH, we can ensure this and at the same time send an important signal for the mobility sector in our country,’ said Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, Minister of Economic Affairs and Research.
COMET centre with the strongest international focus
The aim of the Virtual Vehicle is to make the mobility of the future safer, more efficient and more sustainable. The centre is funded by the federal government and the province of Styria as part of the COMET competence centre programme as a so-called ‘K2 centre’ and is supported by the shareholders TU Graz, AVL List, MAGNA Steyr, Siemens Mobility, Infineon, voestalpine Metal Engineering and JOANNEUM RESEARCH. K2 centres are the largest competence centres with a corresponding international focus. Revenues from research contracts contribute to the further financing of the ViF. 53 per cent come from projects in Austria, 39 per cent from other EU countries and seven per cent from non-EU countries. This makes the ViF the COMET centre with the strongest international focus. In total, the centre cooperates with 30 national and 50 international industrial partners as well as 18 national and 30 international scientific institutions.
Funding for K2 centres in the COMET programme expires in 2027. The ViF would then have to be converted into a K1 centre. This would result in a reduction of the total operating budget from the current 28 million euros to around 14 million euros per year and the number of employees to less than 100. The ViF would not be able to maintain its position as a research centre with international visibility and significance. Particularly in view of the enormous challenges in the mobility sector, such a development would have a negative impact on Styria as a centre of business and science.
For this reason, the centre will be maintained in its current form beyond 2027 with the support of the federal government, the province of Styria and JR. To this end, JR has acquired a majority stake of 50.1 per cent and the other shareholders have adjusted their shares accordingly. The province of Styria and the federal government (Federal Ministry for Climate Protection) are providing additional funding and the industrial shareholders will also increase their commitment in the form of additional research contracts. This ensures that the ViF can continue to exist in its current size.
Reactions from politics and industry
„Das Gelingen der Mobilitätswende ist ganz entscheidend davon abhängig, dass unsere Unternehmen technologisch an der Spitze stehen und dabei auf eine exzellente Forschungsbasis zurückgreifen können, wie sie das ViF darstellt. Gemeinsam mit dem Land Steiermark können wir nun sicherstellen, dass die Steiermark und Österreich die Zukunft der Mobilität an vorderster Front mitgestalten“, so Klimaschutzministerin Leonore Gewessler zur weit über Österreich hinausreichenden Bedeutung des ViF.
„Als Vertreter der Industriegesellschafter des Virtual Vehicle freut es mich besonders, dass wir den erfolgreichen Kurs des Virtual Vehicle in der Steiermark durch die Integration mit JOANNEUM RESEARCH weiterführen und die enge Zusammenarbeit mit der Industrie stärken können. Die steirischen Industrieunternehmen und Forschungspartner im Mobilitätssektor sind international mit innovativen Lösungen bestens aufgestellt – sei es in Form von Produkten, Software, Methoden oder Tools. Forschung und Innovation sind daher entscheidend für die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit des Wirtschaftsstandorts Steiermark. Die Verbindung des Virtual Vehicle mit JOANNEUM RESEARCH schafft neue Möglichkeiten und Synergien,“ so Georg List, Vice President Corporate Strategy, AVL List GmbH.
