Support cutting-edge research for a climate-neutral future
We have been aware of humankind’s impact on the climate for a long time. Our job now is to find solutions to the climate crisis. The world’s clock is ticking – yesterday's remedies and technologies will not help us achieve the transformation to a climate-friendly society we need today. It will take new knowledge and bold ideas to pave the way for a climate-neutral future.
Join the alpha+ Foundation and the Austrian Science Fund FWF in getting groundbreaking research projects rolling, and help us fund the researchers whose findings will expand our knowledge base for innovations in all climate-related fields:
Energy | Food security and land use | Housing | Mobility | Resilience | Adaptability | Social change | Social justice | Governance
Kick-start research projects for a better future.
Securing
wetlands
as CO2 stores
Felix Panis is researching how climate change affects the activity of enzymes in the world’s largest wetlands. The chemist received a Zero Emissions Award in the amount of €348,000 for his research.
Researching
microplastics
in the
atmosphere
Thanks to the funding of the Weiss-Foundation, the environmental physicist Bernadett Weinzierl (University of Vienna) intends to better detect and research microplastics in the atmosphere.
Exploring new
organic solar
cells
Thomas Rath is researching how organic solar cells can be produced even more efficiently and with fewer resources in the future. The chemist received a Zero Emissions Award in the amount of €460,000 for his research in 2024.
Enhancing
safety in
clinical
procedures
With the support of the Weiss-Foundation, Ottokar Stundner (Medical University Innsbruck) is undertaking a critical examination and improvement of the safety of clinically established procedures through their research project.
Understanding
extreme
climatic
events
With the support of the Weiss Foundation, the meteorologist Andreas Stohl (University of Vienna) is researching the transport of heat and water vapour in the atmosphere to better understand extreme climatic events such as heavy precipitation or heat waves.
Making
networks
reliable
With the "netidee SCIENCE" funding of the Internet Foundation Austria, Monika Henzinger (University of Vienna) is researching algorithms that make networks even more efficient and reliable.
With an eye
to the future
Through the FWF, the law firm Binder Grösswang supports the next generation of top researchers by financing two Rückenwind funding bonuses. “Future-oriented projects that contribute to sustainable development are crucial to society, and that is what we want to support,” says Andreas Hable, managing partner and spokesperson of the firm.
Tomorrow’s
intelligent
web design
Thanks to "netidee SCIENCE", a funding program of the Internet Stiftung, computer scientist Shqiponja Ahmetaj (TU Wien) is researching new ways to help the internet better understand content and further develop the quality of data exchange in the Semantic Web.
Assessing
global
warming
With the support of the Weiss Foundation, the geologist Christoph Spötl (University of Innsbruck) is gathering valuable climate data from ice caves in the Alps. His data provide the basis for more assessments of the consequences of global warming.
Giving back
to the
community
Since 2014, the Weiss Scientific Foundation, represented by Dr. Wolfgang Putz and Rudolf Bauer, MBA, has supported research projects in the fields of meteorology and medicine through the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
Processing
metals
efficiently
Thanks to the research award of the Austrian Society for Metallurgy and Materials (ASMET), the materials researcher Maria Cecilia Poletti (TU Graz) can develop new models for metal compounds. Her results provide the basis for the optimisation of manufacturing processes and the conservation of resources..
Making
the Internet
safe
Sabrina Kirrane (WU Wien) is researching the foundation for the next web generation. Thanks to the “netidee SCIENCE” funding of the Internet Foundation Austria, the computer scientist can develop particularly trustworthy protocols for the web of tomorrow.
Defeating
chronic
pain
The neuroscientist Kai Kummer (Medical University of Innsbruck) is able to investigate the causes of chronic pain thanks to the financial support of the Weiss Foundation. His research provides insights into why women and men react differently to pain.
Opening
doors for
researchers
The Austrian Society for Metallurgy and Materials (ASMET), through the FWF, supports top researchers in the field of metals research. "Research and development is necessary to maintain the high technological level," says Franz Rotter, Member of the Board of voestalpine & ASMET President.
Ground-
breaking
metallurgy
research
With the ASMET Research Award, the materials scientist Lorenz Romaner (Montanuniversität Leoben) is investigating how to use machine learning methods to improve the properties of metals. This opens up new possibilities from manufacturing to recycling.
Reducing
cyber-
crime
The computer scientist Daniel Slamanig (AIT) received the “netidee SCIENCE” Award of the Internet Foundation Austria in 2018 and thanks to this support, has researched better ways of protecting information on the Internet. The award helps highlight the beneficial aspects of the Internet through basic research.
Improving
weather
forecasts
Storms are a big source of danger in the mountains. Thanks to the funding from the Weiss Foundation, the meteorologist Alexander Gohm (University of Innsbruck) can improve our understanding of the alpine föhn winds in order to be able to better predict hazardous situations.
Exposing
conspiracy
theories
With the “netidee SCIENCE” grant from the Internet Foundation, Jana Lasser (Graz University of Technology) is investigating how disinformation spreads online.
Dare to know.
Your support goes to experts in their fields: to outstanding researchers who have succeeded in obtaining funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). Researchers who are ready to go the extra mile in order to find pioneering solutions to social challenges.
Open up a new chapter of Austria’s tradition of research.
One goal, many options
The alpha+ Foundation of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) offers a variety of options to people and organisations looking to get involved philanthropically in basic research. They all share one thing in common: the alpha+ Foundation and the FWF handle the entire process from the call for proposals to the review of research projects to the announcement of awards.
Follow the example of Dr. Wolfgang Putz and Rudolf Bauer, MBA, from the "Dr. Gottfried und Dr. Vera Weiss Science Foundation"and support top researchers in Austria through the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
Areas of activity
As part of the alpha+ Foundation, you can actively support thematic areas. We would be happy to work together with you to find the right funding scheme for you.
Responsibility
Time is short. Mankind and planet earth are at a turning point, the consequences of climate change are the greatest challenge of our time.
Support excellent researchers who improve our lives and provide new insights and pioneering solutions that contribute to shaping the transformation to a sustainable future, in particular to coping with the consequences of climate change.
Under the title “Zero Emissions Award,” €4.5 million in funding has been made available to gain new knowledge for the energy transition thanks to a private grant to the alpha+ Foundation. Researchers have the opportunity to submit climate-relevant projects here.
Your contribution
will be used to fund
Austria’s best researchers
Courage
Rückenwind funding bonus
Make a commitment to the next generation of aspiring top researchers. By supporting the Rückewind funding bonus with a minimum contribution of € 5,000 you help promote the academic careers of highly talented researchers on an international level.
Zero Emissions Awards 2024: Pioneering Projects for a Climate-Neutral Future
The first winning projects of the Zero Emissions Award, Austria's largest privately funded grant for climate-relevant basic research, have been announced: The alpha+ Foundation has selected Felix Panis (University of Vienna) and Thomas Rath (Graz University of Technology) for their innovative approaches in the field of biophysical and materials chemistry.
Get to know us
The alpha+ Foundation was created as a non-profit federal foundation by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
The alpha+ Foundation builds bridges between those who provide private non-profit funds and those who would like to implement world-class research ideas. The common goal is to take on social responsibility through the opportunities provided by basic research.
“Cutting-edge research needs strong advocates from business and civil society.”
Prof. Georg Winckler,
Chairman of the alpha+ Foundation
"Kick-start research projects for a better future. The Austrian Science Fund guarantees the highest scientific standards."
Mag. Ursula Jakubek,
Vice-Chairperson of the alpha+ Foundation and Executive Vice-President of the FWF
"Our climate needs research. Basic research lays the foundations for innovation and the development of practical applications."
Mag. Susanne Müller-Taborsky
Board member of the alpha+ Foundation
Highest standards of awarding
Your financial support is awarded to researchers exclusively on the basis of the recognised merit-review system of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF). The international peer review model guarantees the transparent and fair awarding of funds in accordance with the highest academic standards.
With access to all scientific and academic disciplines and its sophisticated and recognised system of quality assurance, the alpha+ Foundation and the FWF together serve as a valuable guide in selecting the best research projects. Public calls for proposals as part of the award of funding ensures that you reach researchers from all Austrian research locations and that the most highly qualified applicants are granted funding. The funding granted will be administered and monitored with no cost to you.
Mission and principles
The alpha+ Foundation aims to support scientific and scholarly research and the advancement and the appreciation of the arts. It provides cutting-edge researchers throughout Austria with funding generated through non-profit donations and/or endowments by private persons, foundations, and corporations. It is a charitable, non-profit organisation, and the foundation’s entire declaration of establishment can be found here.
The actions of the alpha+ Foundation are characterised by quality, professionalism, and transparency. The Code of Conduct serves as the basis of all its activities. The foundation is committed to the “Code of Conduct of the Fundraising Association Austria” as well as the “International Statement of Ethical Principles in Fundraising”.
Strategic Advisory Board
In the Strategic Advisory Board, various experts from science, business and society contribute to the alpha+ Foundation pro bono. With their experience and expertise, they advocate for a cultural change towards more philanthropy in science and research in Austria.
- Beate Eckhardt (Strategy and Philanthropy Consultant, Eckhardt Consulting GmbH)
- Heinz Faßmann (President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences)
- Susanne Kalss (Professor for Corporate Law and Head of the Institute for Corporate Law at the Vienna University of Economics and Business)
- Georg Kaser (Professor at the Institute of Atmospheric and Cryospheric Sciences at the University of Innsbruck, Scientific Vice-President of the FWF, glaciologist and climate researcher)
- Martin Kocher (Austrian Federal Minister of Labor, IHS, membership currently dormant)
Thank you
As a sponsor and partner of the alpha+ Foundation and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), you contribute in many different ways to top researchers throughout Austria. We would thus like to express our heartfelt gratitude on behalf of the funding recipients.
Contact Katharina Okulski for an initial conversation.