As a new key technology, artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to significantly contribute to the further development of the economy and society as a whole. To leverage this potential and create added value for Austria as a business and research location, the aws, FFG, and FWF are offering the funding initiative AI Mission Austria. Several different FWF programs are available to researchers in the field of university and non-university basic research within the framework of this initiative. The objective is to advance new knowledge in artificial intelligence across a broad range of disciplines and directions. Additional funding is available for projects that contribute to overcoming environmental challenges under the title “AI Green.”
Target group
The funding initiative is aimed at qualified researchers from all disciplines who work or would like to work at Austrian research institutions and whose research focuses on technological developments as well as the effects and framework conditions of artificial intelligence. The advancement of women and junior researchers is particularly important to the FWF, and these target groups are explicitly encouraged to apply to the relevant funding programs.
Funding goals
The main objective of this subject-specific funding is to support excellent basic scientific research in the field of artificial intelligence and to contribute to positioning Austria as a recognized research and innovation location for AI.
Applications must address a topic related to the field of artificial intelligence research. The funding initiative is interdisciplinary and aims to support basic research in technology and computer sciences, projects in the biomedical, natural, social, and cultural sciences and the humanities, as well as arts-based research.
From November 15, 2023, proposals can be submitted for AI Green projects that deal with the topics such as the following.
Use of AI technologies:
- To advance environmental conservation
- To ensure the conservation of species and nature
- To counteract climate change
- To reduce resource consumption
Additional program-specific information
Proposals for the AI Mission Austria funding initiative can be submitted to the following FWF programs:
Eligible for funding are projects with concisely defined objectives and methodology, and which are subject to duration and funding limits pursuant to the provisions of the abovementioned FWF programs.
Funding period and funding amount
Program-specific
Prerequisites
The requirements and specifications for the FWF programs Principal Investigator Projects, 1000 Ideas, Arts-Based Research or ESPRIT apply, as well as the Supplementary Application Guidelines for this subject-specific funding.
Approval
- Decided by the Scientific Board based on an international review process
- Program-specific, rolling submissions from the start of the call until funding is exhausted; once this dedicated funding has been used up, any further applications will be processed and decided upon like regular proposals in the appropriate program category.
Application information
- Proposals are submitted online using the electronic application portal elane.
- The application guidelines for Principal Investigator Projects, 1000 Ideas, Arts-Based Research or ESPRIT apply.
- The relevance of the proposal to the topic of this subject-specific call must be detailed in an additional form on elane.
- The Supplementary Application Guidelines include additional specifics of the call.
Funding institution
Austrian Science Fund (FWF) (with funding from the Fonds Zukunft Österreich)
