Following the release of €10.4 million from the COMET program, seven new leading research projects are kicking off with a big potential for Austria’s economy. Of these seven projects, four of them come from the Green Tech Valley in southern Austria and it is particularly encouraging that all four projects are in the environmental technology sector:

CARpenTiER – Modelling, Production and further Processing of Eco-Hybrid Structures and Materials
(Weizer Energie- Innovations-Zentrum GmbH)

HyTechonomy – Hydrogen Technologies for Sustainable Economies
(HyCentA Research GmbH)

ReWaste F – Recycling and Recovery of Waste for Future (Montan University Leoben – Chair for Waste Processing Technology and Waste Management)

SafeLIB – Safety Aspects of Lithium-Based Traction Batteries Including the Qualification for Second Life Applications
(Graz University of Technology – Institute for Vehicle Safety)

The Green Tech Valley is now home to 15 of the 18 Austrian Centres of Excellence in the energy and environmental technology sector.

Climate Protection Minister, Leonore Gewessler, emphasised the importance of the program: “By investing in sustainable innovation, we underpin the position of Austria as a climate-friendly and therefore more competitive location. COMET research projects are aimed at bringing together science and industry to implement ideas with high potential that hold the promise of new products, applications and services with significant benefit to the economy and society. Austrian COMET centres and projects have already generated significant stimuli in the area of Renewable Energy, Environmental Technology and Conservation of Resources in Manufacturing.”

With the addition of seven new COMET projects, the latest map showing Centres of Excellence in Austria now includes five COMET (K2) centres, 20 COMET (K1) centres, 6 COMET modules and 24 COMET projects.