IST Austria
OUR WAY TO EXCELLENCE
BASIC RESEARCH Curiosity-driven INDEPENDENT Board of Scientists English Language INTERNATIONAL INTERDISCIPLINARY
No Boundaries
PHD GRANTING SUPPORTING CAREERS
Graduate School Tenure Track
DIVERSE FUNDING Public and Private
Intellectual Property
EXPLOITING RESULTS
Institute of Science and Technology Austria
IST AUSTRIA attracts researchers from around the world
committed to pursue basic research at a world-class level focus on biological, physical, and mathematical sciences educates aspiring young scientists in a v足 ibrant environment fosters a collaborative and cross-disciplinary culture
founded in 2006, operational since 2009
located in Klosterneuburg, near Vienna
visit IST Austria on the web: www.ist.ac.at
we reach
ACROSS BOUNDARIES Cross-disciplinary research by an international community of scientists – the essence of IST Austria. No internal boundaries and hierarchies IST Austria aims to overcome all barriers within and between research groups and scientific disciplines. By actively promoting collaborations between its researchers across different fields of science and different levels of experience, the Institute provides an atmosphere of passion for expanding the frontiers of knowledge. IST Austria is well-positioned to take advantage of the fact that, in science, unexpected breakthroughs often occur at previously unexplored interfaces between different fields. The absence of scientific departments and hierarchical structures, the multitude of cross-disciplinary courses and lectures, and the sharing of space and resources by all research groups allow the Institute to react briskly to new developments in science. An international community The interactive and collaborative research culture is one of the main assets of IST Austria, attracting scientists from around the world. To integrate seamlessly into the international scientific community, the IST Austria campus is an Englishlanguage environment. In its development and day-to-day operations, IST Austria follows successful international role models, such as the American research university, the Swiss ETH system, and, more than any other single institution, the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
4 I IST Austria – Institute of Science and Technology Austria
Research and doctoral education at IST Austria bridge the traditional boundaries between several disciplines, making IST Austria a truly cross-disciplinary institution. In the future, IST Austria will expand and include also other fields of science.
SCIENTISTS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD PERFORM RESEARCH AT IST AUSTRIA.
what drives us is
CURIOSITY
Basic research pursues the unknown. Many of the greatest discoveries of mankind spring from curiosity-driven research. Excellence in basic research IST Austria is dedicated to research that is guided solely by the interests of its scientists. Basic research, the venture to push the boundaries of our understanding of nature, is the basis of all scientific knowledge and technological development. The independence of IST Austria permits the Institute to focus strictly on scientific quality. The only criteria for hiring scientists at IST Austria, from the youngest student to the most senior professor, are their scientific excellence and promise. When competing with the best in the world, basic research stands in no contradiction to economic value – indeed, the opposite is true: many international examples show that if world-class scientists are brought together and given the freedom to pursue their visions, their research will yield results that benefit society and industry.
INDEPENDENCE
The President of IST Austria, a scientist, works together with the two governing bodies of the Institute to secure its independence. The Board of Trustees comprises of members of both the scientific and business communities; the Scientific Board consists of internationally distinguished scientists. The Institute and its scientists are evaluated regularly by independent reviewers in order to ensure the world-class standard of IST Austria.
IST Austria – Institute of Science and Technology Austria I 7
we support
SCIENTIFIC CAREERS Graduate education More than a third of the scientists at IST Austria are doctoral students. While the Institute has no undergraduate students, it provides doctoral students with the training to become world-class researchers. The cross-disciplinary IST Austria Graduate School offers courses across the entire spectrum of scientific disciplines represented at the Institute. Before choosing a dissertation supervisor, all students take courses outside their areas of expertise and work on projects with at least three different research groups, which gives breadth to their scientific backgrounds and establishes the basis for cross-disciplinary communication. Scientific organization The basic scientific unit at IST Austria is the independent research group, which is lead by an Assistant Professor or Professor. A research group consists, on average, of around 10 doctoral students and postdocs – small enough to be supervised directly by the group leaders, who are active, world-class scientists. The Institute recruits young group leaders as Assistant Professors, gives them complete scientific freedom during the most creative years in a researcher’s career, and promises them the opportunity to be promoted to Professor, based solely on an independent evaluation of their scientific performance (“tenure track”). Only Professors have career positions at IST Austria, but the reputation of the Institute will depend critically on the success of its doctoral students and postdocs on the international scientific scene.
8 I IST Austria – Institute of Science and Technology Austria
From doctoral students to postdocs and professors, IST Austria is committed to promote the international success of researchers at all stages of their careers.
Tenure Evaluation Change of Institution Admission by Graduate School
Change of Institution
PhD Qualifying Exam
PhD STUDENT 4–5 years
POSTDOC 2–5 years
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR 5–7 years
PROFESSOR unlimited
CAREER STEPS AT IST AUSTRIA
IST Austria – Institute of Science and Technology Austria I 9
we grow on
DIVERSE FUNDS Public funding, research grants, private donations and, in the future, technology transfer provide the broad financial basis for IST Austria’s success. Performance-based public funds IST Austria is financed by several sources. The development of the Institute has been made possible through generous public funds by the Federal Republic of Austria and the State of Lower Austria. These funds are, to a large degree, conditioned on the scientific performance of the Institute. If IST Austria is maximally successful in its performance, it will be able to grow to 90–100 research groups with 1’000 scientists by 2026. The second pillar of financing for IST Austria is provided through the acquisition of research grants by its scientists. Such third-party funds are intensely competitive, and the scientists of IST Austria have been highly successful in both national and international competitions.
01 Central Building
Area for development 2015–2026
P
01
02 Raiffeisen Lecture
02
03 voestalpine Building
i
Administration
01 Central Building 09
08
05 04 Bertalanffy Foundation Building
i
Science Offices Guesthouse Area for Oberbank Ballroom development Mondi Seminar Center until 2015 Cafe / Pub / Restaurant
06 Lab Building East
06
03 voestalpine Building
01 Central Building
Administration
i
MAIN ENTRANCE
04 Bertalanffy 239 FoundationHBuilding
Science Offices Guesthouse Oberbank Ballroom Mondi Seminar CenterB14 Tulln Cafe / Pub / Restaurant
i
03 Administration
01 Central Building
i
Science Offices 10 Guesthouse Oberbank Ballroom Mondi Seminar Center Cafe / Pub / Restaurant
I IST
02 Raiffeisen Lecture Hall
04 Bertalanffy Foundation Building Austria – Institute of 06 Lab Building East 09 Memorial 11 Facility Management
i
public funding
peer-reviewed research grants
donations
licensing of technology
11 Facility Management
i
04
Security
12 Heating Plant naShop 13 Miba Machine ien g
r V 14 ubu
e 16 Power B Control ern ost
242 IST Austria
02 Raiffeisen Lecture Hall
i
09 Memorial
02 Raiffeisen Lecture Hall 07
i
Science Offices Guesthouse Oberbank Ballroom 03 Mondi Seminar Center Cafe / Pub / Restaurant
01 C entral Building 02 Raiffeisen Lecture Hall 03 Bertalanffy Foundation Building 04 voestalpine Building 05 Lab Building East 06 Memorial 07 Facility Management 08 Miba Machine Shop 09 Power Station
Private support The ultimate success of IST Austria will depend on two additional sources of income. Private donations provide the essential third pillar of support. IST Austria is enormously grateful to the individuals and companies that have contributed so generously to the research at the Institute. These donors do not influence scientific directions at IST Austria, but support the Institute because they are convinced of its importance for Austria. Their support is acknowledged through the naming of buildings, rooms, professorships, and fellowships for students and postdocs. In the future, IST Austria intends to use income from intellectual property rights to build a fourth pillar of financial support. A technology park is planned adjacent to the IST Austria campus. Managed properly, the fruits of world-class research will create economic value not only for the region and the nation, but also for the Institute itself.
Kl
27 Kindergarten 06 Lab Building East Shuttlebus 31-35 Apartments 09 Memorial 41 Tennis Courts 11
IST AUSTRIA IS BACKED BY A RANGE OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT
12 Heating Plant 13 Miba Machine Shop
28 Fire Station
27 Kindergarten
A1 Art/Brut Center
Science and Technology Austria 16 Power Control 36 Church 31-35 Apartments
A2 Haus der Künstler
IST Austria – Institute of Science and Technology Austria I 11
BASIC RESEARCH Curiosity-driven INDEPENDENT Board of Scientists
English Language
INTERNATIONAL
INTERDISCIPLINARY
No Boundaries
PHD GRANTING
Graduate School
SUPPORTING CAREERS Tenure Track
DIVERSE FUNDING Public and Private
Intellectual Property
EXPLOITING RESULTS
Institute of Science and Technology Austria Am Campus 1, 3400 Klosterneuburg, Austria www.ist.ac.at, office@ist.ac.at, Tel.: +43 (0)2243–9000