The general programmes of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) are among the key instruments of Austrian research and innovation funding for businesses. A comprehensive evaluation carried out by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and Kerlen Evaluation examined their impacts over the period from 2008 to 2021. The study was commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI). The results show additional effects on R&D activities, innovation and commercialisation – with variations depending on company size.
During the evaluation period, a total of 8,195 projects were supported with funding of around 2.1 billion euros. Of this, 87 per cent – or 1.81 billion euros – came from the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure. The general programmes reach both established R&D stakeholders and companies new to research and development. Each year, around 12 to 20 per cent of all companies active in R&D in Austria received funding under the general programmes.
Additional investment in research and development
The evaluation shows a significant effect of an average of two additional full-time equivalent R&D staff per funded company, corresponding to an increase of around 15 per cent compared with the baseline. One euro of net present value of funding increases the R&D expenditure of funded companies by an average of 2.20 euros. For the period from 2008 to 2021, this translates to an estimated €2.5 billion in additional private R&D expenditure.
The effects vary according to company size. Significant additional effects on R&D expenditure are particularly evident in companies with fewer than 250 employees. In the case of large enterprises, however, no significant additional increase in total R&D expenditure can be observed compared with similar non-funded enterprises. In such cases, funding is often embedded within existing R&D strategies and supports, in particular, the structuring and prioritisation of innovation pathways as well as the further development of technological competence profiles.
“The results show that the impacts of the general programmes must be considered differently depending on the type of organisation. In the case of SMEs and new R&D players, additional effects on the development of R&D capacities can be observed in particular. For large enterprises, the funding is more closely embedded in existing research and innovation strategies,” says Michael Dinges, project manager for the evaluation and Head of Unit Transformation Governance at the AIT Center for Innovation Systems & Policy.
Effects on innovation and economic development
The funding has an impact beyond the immediate R&D activities. Funded companies develop product innovations and market novelties significantly more frequently and achieve a higher proportion of turnover from new products. The additionality in innovation expenditure stands at 3.67 euros per euro of funded present value. Around 67 per cent of companies commercially exploit project results, whilst 40 to 44 per cent apply for intellectual property rights.
Effects are also evident in terms of employment and turnover: the impact analysis shows an average of around 15 additional employees and around five million euros more turnover growth over the observation period compared with comparable companies that have not received funding or have not yet received it. At the same time, the funding does not lead to a significantly higher proportion of fast-growing companies. Consequently, scaling and growth in particular remain areas where complementary instruments are required.
Thematic openness and technological specialisation
The evaluation also shows that the open-topic approach of the general programmes goes hand in hand with a focus on technologically relevant areas. 69 per cent of the projects can be classified as key technologies or areas of strength within the industrial strategy. Particularly well-represented are production technologies and robotics, energy and environmental technologies, advanced materials, chips and electronic components, as well as AI and data innovations.
Areas for further development
Based on the results, the evaluation team has identified five courses of action. These include maintaining technological openness and the bottom-up principle whilst simplifying access, particularly for SMEs, start-ups and first-time applicants, as well as providing better opportunities for projects with high scaling potential to progress to the next stage. Where funding budgets are tight, greater consideration could be given to the expected additionality. Further options include supplementing individual project funding with system-oriented calls for proposals, as well as providing greater support to companies throughout the innovation process – from research and development through to validation and scaling.
About the study
Methodologically, the evaluation combines quantitative and qualitative approaches. FFG funding data at company level was linked to official microdata from the Austrian Microdata Centre (AMDC), and funded companies were systematically compared with structurally similar non-funded companies. The analyses were supplemented by interviews, innovation biographies, an international benchmark and evaluations of the FFG’s impact monitoring.
Evaluation of the FFG’s general programmes for the period 2008–2021
Conducted by AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and Kerlen Evaluation on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI), July 2026.