In Conversation with Pioneering Researchers: Discovering What Matters
Light, camera, action – we invited FWF Wittgenstein Award winners from recent years to the film studio to share their views on the role of basic research and FWF funding. And here you have them: a total of 19 videos featuring pioneering researchers whose work and findings are shaping Austria's scientific landscape. They talk about what motivates them, why their curiosity never dies, and what scientific progress means for our future. Ferenc Krausz, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics, says for example: “To me, exploring the unknown is a very fascinating endeavor.” “Basic research can be an important driver for a society’s development in the international race for resources,” says neuroscientist Peter M. Jonas. Or physicist Ulrike Diebold: “Truly major innovations are the result of the most fundamental insights.”
FWF Wittgenstein Award winners talk about the fascination of basic research
Christof Gattringer, FWF President, thanks the researchers who participated in the videos: “In order for something new to emerge, we need people willing to take the first step. In these videos, you will meet true pioneers in science and research. For close to 30 years now, the FWF has been honoring exceptional careers like these with the FWF Wittgenstein Award. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this video series – I’m sure that their thoughts will help inspire a passion for science and research in many young people.”
“How does the future happen? In their answers, FWF Wittgenstein Award winners emphasize basic research’s potential for discovering entirely new possibilities, as well as the social relevance of FWF funding, which gives thousands of researchers in Austria the opportunity to find science-based answers to tomorrow’s challenges,” says Ursula Jakubek, FWF’s Executive Vice-President.
So go ahead and see for yourself, get to know some of Austria's leading researchers in the videos, and visit the FWF on its social media channels on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.
