Your Career in Cutting-Edge Research

The ESPRIT program (Early-Stage Program: Research - Innovation - Training) is intended to improve the skills and support the professional development of researchers from all disciplines early in their research careers by giving them the opportunity to lead an independent research project.

One of the key objectives is to support the careers of outstanding female researchers, which is why the FWF aims to award at least half of these projects to women. In the case of equal qualifications and equal quality of projects, applications by women will be given priority, especially in disciplines in which women are underrepresented at the FWF as principal investigators.

The program also includes skills training and career development measures for early career researchers (integrated mentoring).

Expanding your research profile in a new environment of excellence is essential for sustainable professional development. One important building block on the road to success is mobility: The Erwin Schrödinger program gives highly qualified postdocs the opportunity to pursue career-enhancing stays at internationally renowned research institutions, and also provides them with support after their return to Austria.

Launched in 2024, the FWF now offers a new career funding program called the FWF ASTRA Awards. This funding helps advanced postdocs in Austria make the leap to the top of their research field and into academic leadership positions. Half of the funding at this career level is also reserved for women. ASTRA is intended to give women long-term prospects in top-level research. With ASTRA’s new tenure package, the FWF is providing women researchers with an additional instrument to help them gain a long-term foothold in their research field. The FWF also provides funding for equal opportunities and diversity-related measures, including career development and childcare.

• Signing the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA); reviewers are requested to refrain from using journal-based metrics when assessing research performance
• Consideration of interruptions or delays in researchers’ careers (e.g., due to parental leave, caring for a family member, or long-term illness) in the application process
• Coaching workshops and informational events about the FWF’s funding programs (including events specifically for women)
• Required reflection on sex-specific and gender-related aspects in the description of the research approach in proposed projects
• Additional project funding for equality and gender mainstreaming measures in collaborative programs (Funding for substitute staff, childcare, networking measures; for details, please see program-specific application guidelines)
• Bias awareness-raising measures for FWF Scientific Board members, FWF staff (in-house training), and external reviewers (information and recommendations) on bias in the decision-making process
• In its role as a funding agency, the FWF provides information on avoiding discrimination, in particular sexual harassment, in its guidelines on Promoting a Safe and Inclusive Research Culture.

The number of female applicants for FWF funding almost doubled between 2005 (19%) and 2021 (35%), but is subject to fluctuations and stood at 32.8% in 2023. Although women submit overall fewer proposals to the FWF, their applications are just as successful as those of their male colleagues – there are no significant differences in the approval rates between the genders.

Two evaluations of the FWF decision-making procedure for the years 1999-2008 and 2010-2019 showed that applicants are treated equally and that age and disciplinary background have no statistically significant influence on the probability of approval.

• Equal opportunities monitoring
• Equal Opportunities Plan
• Equal opportunities 2015-2023

In our science magazine scilog we talk to top researchers in Austria, take a close look at their work, and communicate their findings across all disciplines. The knowledge they generate provides us with the basis for fact-based discourse, problem-solving expertise, and progress.