The ERFA offered an inspiring exchange on European R&D funding programmes for research and innovation and made it possible to look beyond one’s own horizon and gain valuable learnings. The participants were responsible for EU research funding projects in Upper Austrian small and medium-sized enterprises, large companies and R&D institutions.

After a guided tour of the technical center, discussions were held with experienced experts on the topic of EU funding.

Christine Gruber, Management Area 3 Simulation & Data Analyses at K1-MET GmbH, and Norbert Bauernfeind, funding expert at Primetals Technologies Austria GmbH, provided insights into the topics of consortium formation and the application process and shared their experiences from the CFS audit. Other topics included current applications and lessons learned from rejected applications.

Eva Martischnig, Senior Manager and Team Leader for Funding Consulting and Nina Londer, Senior Consultant, Expert for EU Funding at BDO Consulting GmbH reported and discussed opportunities, challenges and potentials of European funding programs such as Horizon Europe, LIFE and IPCEI.

Zuzana Lettner and Olivera Gracanin from the International Funding Team of Business Upper Austria presented current topics on Horizon Europe/FP 10 and gave an outlook on ERFA 2025.

There was also plenty of time for stimulating discussions and intensive networking.