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R&D in the higher education sector - excluding public universities

The R&D survey 2025 will start soon.

The R&D survey of the "higher education sector - excluding public universities" is carried out every two years and aims to collect accurate statistical data on R&D activities. 

The definitions and standards on which this survey is based are the "Guidelines for Collecting and Reporting Data on Research and Experimental Development" of the OECD, the so-called "Frascati Manual" (2015).

Definition of R&D: Research and experimental development (R&D) comprises creative and systematic work undertaken in order to increase the stock of knowledge - including knowledge on humankind, culture and society - and to devise new applications on available knowledge.

The legal basis of the survey is the Austrian R&D statistics regulation which in turn is based on respective EU legal acts for business statistics. These legal acts oblige Austria to report statistical data on R&D to the EU.

Data reported in the course of the survey are kept strictly confidential according to the confidentiality requirements laid down in the Austrian Federal Statistics Act and are used only for purposes foreseen in the Federal Statistics Act 2000.

Due to the Federal Statistics Act 2000, BGBl. I Nr. 163/1999 and the national R&D statistics regulation quoted before (see legal basis, data protection), participation in the survey is compulsory.

The R&D survey 2025 will start soon.

The reference period is the calendar year 2025.

The survey on research and experimental development (R&D survey) is not offered in English.

Explanatory notes and additional information can be downloaded below (German only) and are also available in the web questionnaire (German only).

The R&D survey 2025 will start soon.

Web questionnaire

The survey on research and experimental development (R&D survey) is not offered in English.

Use the link below to access the web questionnaire (German only). Login details were provided via letter.

Further information for the use of the web questionnaire can be downloaded below (German only).

Using the following link you can submit a request for the required access data (German only).

If you have problems with the transmission or if the technical possibilities for an electronic report are not available, please contact us by telephone or email and we will try to find a solution.

Last updated on 2026-06-15.