New Alliance for Research-Based Spin-offs: Vienna’s Renowned Research Institutions Join Forces

Vienna, [May 20, 2026] - With the founding of the Academic Spin-out Alliance, Vienna’s leading universities and key players in the Austrian innovation ecosystem are sending a strong signal about the future of the region. The goal of this new collaboration is to translate more scientific research into successful companies, accelerate academic spin-offs, and make deep-tech innovations internationally competitive.

“Science-based spin-offs are a key driver of Europe’s innovative strength and technological sovereignty. Through the Academic Spin-out Alliance, we are, for the first time, specifically pooling our expertise to offer researchers better conditions for successful startups, faster technology transfer, and international scaling,” the Alliance states.
 

Significant progress and even greater potential

The importance of academic spin-offs has grown significantly in recent years: While in 2018, around 12% of all startups originated from universities or research institutions, this figure now stands at approximately 23%, according to the Austrian Startup Monitor 2025.

These figures make it clear: The scientific potential exists, but it is not yet being sufficiently translated into scalable innovation.
 

New Structures to Boost Startup Activity

This is exactly where the new alliance comes in. The goal is to significantly simplify and accelerate the path from research to startup.

Plans include, among other things:

• joint spin-off and incubation programs
• cross-institutional co-founder matching initiatives
• initiatives to accelerate technology transfer and commercialization
   

From Lab to Leader: Building Science Ventures that Last

The first visible sign of the new collaboration was the joint event “Lab to Leader: Building Science Ventures That Last,” which took place on May 20 as part of Vienna UP 2026—an initiative launched by the Vienna Business Agency—and was attended by over 150 guests. The event was organized jointly by the partner institutions to bring together academic spin-offs with potential co-founders, investors, and international experts. Further initiatives and concrete offerings for founders will be rolled out gradually in the coming months.

Company Information:

AIT

The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology is Austria’s largest research and technology organization, with more than 1,600 employees working on the key
infrastructure issues of the future. The AIT focuses on two interrelated research priorities: “Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructures,” particularly in the fields of energy, transportation, and health, as well as the “Digital Transformation of the Economy and Society.” 

In doing so, AIT works closely with industry and clients from public institutions. Research & Development is the central driver of innovation for industry, the economy, and society; it secures jobs and prosperity, thereby strengthening Austria and Europe as business locations.

BOKU

The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (“BOKU University”) has been conducting research and teaching for over 150 years at the intersection of nature, science, and society—with a clear focus on what truly matters. With its pioneering thematic focus, it ranks among the most relevant life sciences universities in Europe and is distinguished by its holistic approach to research and teaching.

BOKU University views knowledge as a responsibility. Its researchers, students, and graduates develop groundbreaking solutions to the most pressing societal challenges and actively shape a sustainable future. Spin-offs and start-ups build a crucial bridge between research and industry and are a key driver of
innovation transfer. Entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking—combined with scientific excellence, new ideas, and bold concepts—are the most important building blocks for start-ups at BOKU University.

ISTA and XISTA

The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) is a research institute with the authority to award doctoral degrees. It employs professors on a tenure-track model, postdoctoral researchers, and PhD students. ISTA’s Graduate School offers fully funded doctoral positions to highly qualified students with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in biology, mathematics, computer science, physics, chemistry, and related fields. Currently, the institute has around 90 research groups and 1,300 employees. By 2036, it is expected to grow to 150 groups and 2,000 employees. In addition to its commitment to the principle of basic research driven purely by scientific curiosity, ISTA focuses on transferring scientific findings to society through knowledge dissemination (www.ista.ac.at). 

In addition, XISTA, ISTA’s deep-tech innovation ecosystem, places a special emphasis on translating excellent research into societal and economic impact. XISTA provides support through awareness programs, entrepreneurship training, and individual consulting on IP, startup formation, financing, and industry collaborations. The ecosystem is complemented by infrastructure offerings at the XISTA Science Park and the venture arm XISTA Science Ventures. In this way, XISTA supports science-based innovations from concept to implementation (www.xista.com).

MedUni Vienna

The Medical University of Vienna (MedUni Vienna) is one of the most historic medical training and research institutions in Europe. With approximately 8,600 students, it is now the largest medical training institution in the German-speaking world and ranks among the most important leading research institutions in Europe in the biomedical field.

The core mission of the Medical University of Vienna is to generate, impart,apply, and share knowledge with society. The latter mission includes the transfer of research findings, methods, and technologies to create economic and societal benefits. As an entrepreneurial university, MedUni Vienna promotes the commercialization of research findings through technology transfer, collaboration with industrial companies and start-ups, and the establishment of spin-offs.

TU Vienna

The Vienna University of Technology (TU Vienna) is one of Europe’s leading technical universities and has stood for excellent research, practice-oriented education, and technological innovation for over 200 years. With approximately 26,000 students and a strong focus on future-oriented fields such as digitalization, artificial intelligence, quantum physics, energy, mobility, and life sciences, TU Wien makes a significant contribution to the scientific and economic development of Austria.

TU Wien actively promotes entrepreneurship and technology transfer and supports researchers and students in transforming scientific findings into marketable innovations and successful spin-offs. Through close collaborations with industry, startups, and international research partners, TU Wien strengthens Vienna as a hub for innovation and positions itself as a key player in the European deep-tech ecosystem.

Vetmeduni

The University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni) is the only veterinary academic education and research institution in Austria and also the oldest in
the German-speaking world. Vetmeduni conducts research on socially relevant issues at the intersection of humans, animals, and the environment—One Health—and combines excellent basic research with cutting-edge clinical medicine. Through translational research projects, corporate partnerships, and targeted spin-off activities, it rapidly translates scientific findings into veterinary and human medical practice as well as into marketable innovations.
Vetmeduni employs approximately 1,500 staff members and currently educates around 2,500 students. The campus in Vienna’s Floridsdorf district features five university hospitals and state-of-the-art research infrastructure. In addition to the two research institutes in Vienna’s Wilhelminenberg district, it operates, among other facilities, the VetFarm and the Wolf Science Center in Lower Austria as well as a branch in Tyrol.

Vienna Business Agency

The Vienna Business Agency is the city’s business development agency and shapes Vienna’s economic future. It develops key initiatives that sustainably ensure the transformation and competitiveness of Vienna as a business location. Through proactive initiatives, it raises Vienna’s profile—locally, nationally, and internationally—and supports forward-looking developments, the creation of high-quality jobs, and the establishment of innovative companies. In addition, the Vienna Business Agency develops and implements major specialized real estate projects that further strengthen the infrastructure for
a sustainable business location. To this end, it designs tailored offers and funding instruments. With “Vienna Growth” and the “Growth Navigator,”
the Vienna Business Agency also provides targeted support to growth-oriented companies and startups. Furthermore, it provides modern production and laboratory spaces for industry, commerce, and the life sciences.

WU Vienna

The Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) is one of the largest business universities in Europe and, with over 21,000 students, the leading institution for business and law education in the German-speaking world. As one of less than one percent of all business schools worldwide, WU holds Triple Crown accreditation—the three most prestigious international seals of quality, EQUIS, AMBA, and AACSB—which stands for the highest standards of quality in teaching and research. WU is also internationally networked as a member of ENGAGE.EU, an alliance of leading European universities in the fields of economics and social sciences that works together to find solutions to the major societal challenges of our time.

The WU Entrepreneurship Center is the central hub at the Vienna University of Economics and Business for aspiring entrepreneurs, startups, and entrepreneurial-minded students. With programs such as SkillsLAB, Entrepreneurship Avenue—Europe’s largest student startup event series—and VentureLAB as an incubator, the Entrepreneurship Center supports founders from the initial idea through to market readiness. This ecosystem is complemented by WU Ignite Ventures, the wholly owned subsidiary of the WU Foundation, which supports university startups and spin-offs in the pre-seed phase with up to 50,000 euros per investment and access to a strong network.

University of Vienna

Curiosity has been at the heart of the University of Vienna for over 650 years. For over 650 years, the University of Vienna has set the standard in education, research, and innovation. Today, it ranks among the top 100—and thus the top 4 percent—of all universities worldwide and maintains a global network. With over 180 degree programs and more than 10,000 staff members, it is one of Europe’s largest centers of scholarship. Here, people from a wide variety of disciplines come together to conduct cutting-edge research and find solutions to current and future challenges. Its students and graduates tackle complex challenges with a spirit of innovation and curiosity, developing thoughtful and sustainable solutions.

The University of Vienna contributes to creating societal value by actively supporting the entrepreneurial initiatives of students and researchers. Through
programs such as the "innovation labs," the Entrepreneurship Team supports founders from the initial idea through to the establishment of companies or non-profit organizations and opens up opportunities for them to further develop their ventures within the broader innovation ecosystem through networking.

Press contact
Sophia Hannes
sh@xista.vc
+43664 1508447

Source: Austrian Startup Monitor (2025)