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The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) in Klosterneuburg announces a contribution of 750,000 Euros from an esteemed US philanthropist, aimed at financing the Institute’s translational Fellowship Program. Additionally, there will be financial contributions worth 300,000 Euros into emerging start-ups. This donation and investment underscores the global recognition of the research excellence at ISTA and the immense potential of its fellowship program in driving impactful innovation.
The Fellowship Program, run by ISTA’s tech transfer arm xista, is translating pioneering research at ISTA into innovative spin-offs and commercialization projects. By providing fellows with mentorship, comprehensive resources, and financial backing, the program bridges the gap between academia and practical application. Through this donation, the Fellowship Program will continue to foster the academic base that can then be transferred into startups with real-world impacts.
International stakeholders trust in one of Austria’s leading research institutes
Martin Hetzer, President of ISTA, expressed his gratitude, stating, “We are honored by this significant private contribution. It is a testimony to the trust and confidence that international stakeholders have in our research capabilities and innovation potential. This donation will empower more researchers from ISTA to transform their scientific breakthroughs into ventures that can change lives.” The Institute, just outside of the Austrian capital Vienna, has 90 research groups covering natural sciences, mathematics and computer sciences – with a special focus on interdisciplinarity. It is set to grow to 150 groups by 2036.
The US donor, Daniel Tierney, founder of Wicklow Capital, active in Silicon Valley and a long-time supporter of scientific advancement, remarked, “ISTA's commitment to research excellence, to think beyond disciplines, and its innovative approach to tech transfer align perfectly with my vision of fostering transformative scientific progress.” Wicklow Capital engages in a combination of venture capital investing and venture philanthropy, with a focus on AI, Blockchain, Climate, and Democracy. “By supporting the Fellowship Program of xista, I am confident that we will see the rise of new scientific applications that will address some of the most pressing challenges of our time,” Tierney elaborates.
Success stories of the fellowship
The xista Fellowship Program has already seen remarkable success stories, including emerging startups. Neurolentech is a result of fellowships for Joana Enes, Eva Reinthaler, and Karin Stecher from the Novarino research group at ISTA. The fellowship enabled them to make significant strides in developing patient-derived cellular disease models for autism and epilepsy. It not only laid the foundation for the company Neurolentech, but also allowed the fellows to establish crucial partnerships with clinics and medical centers needed for a roll-out.
In the case of Ruslan Guseinov and Thomas Auzinger the fellowship did not result in a start-up, but the skills and connections gained led them to opportunities at tech giant Google. They are now part of the first Google Research Office at the xista science park directly opposite the ISTA Campus in Klosterneuburg.
Another flagship project is the start-up Syntropic Medical, spearheaded by Alessandro Venturino from the Siegert research group at ISTA. This venture focuses on developing a goggle-like medical device for novel light-based treatments for neurological conditions such as depression. This unique treatment is non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical. Alessandro Venturino, Sandra Siegert and Ingrid Kelly from xista’s team developed the business concept and recruited an external founder team. xista science ventures and now Wicklow Capital provided seed funding.
These real-world examples demonstrate the program's value as a launchpad for innovation and entrepreneurship in scientific research.
Public funding and donations – security and innovation in science
Financing of ISTA is diversified into three sources of funding: public funding, national and international research grants, and donations. The long-term baseline funding of ISTA is provided by the federal government (two thirds) and the state of Lower Austria (one third). The Institute is very successful in acquiring third-party funding through research grants, e.g. by the European Research Council (ERC), with one of the highest success rates in the EU. The third stream of funding are donations by philanthropists. This way, ISTA combines the best of two worlds: The speed and innovation of funding by venture capital and philanthropists – common in the US – and the European model of long-term security and independence for researchers based on public funding.
As ISTA continues to drive forward its mission of scientific exploration and societal contribution, the recent donation by Wicklow Capital marks a new chapter of opportunity for science-based economic applications. For more information about the xista Fellowship Program and details on application processes, please visit https://xista.io/our-offer.
http://www.ista.ac.at
http://www.xista.com
Economy and Science side by side: xista science park (left) and the campus of the Institute of Scien ...
© ISTA | Anna Stöcher
Wicklow Capital is a family office based in Palo Alto, California
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