Increasingly innovative

Austria and its businesses are climbing the ranks

MAY 2022 Industry Perspectives / Text by Alexandra Ziminski

After climbing into the top 10 on the European Innovation Scoreboard in 2020, Austria is proving that it is committed to becoming one of the Continent’s most innovative countries. That same year, the nation — named a “strong innovator” by the EU — published the Austrian Research, Technology, and Innovation Strategy 2030, which aims to see Austria become an international innovation leader in this decade.

Many upcoming and established Austrian businesses are using their experiences to help the nation achieve this goal — while at the same time striving to help the planet.

Innovations for the Earth
AustriaEnergy Group is an international developer of utility-size solar and wind projects with more than 20 years of experience in green energy.

“We bring our Austrian expertise to international renewable energy projects,” says CEO Helmut Kantner. “We use European technology from different providers, including electrolysers, the Haber–Bosch process, wind turbine technology, and ammonia handling and storage.”

Both the latest innovations and protecting the Earth are central to the work of Markus Habisch, agricultural consultant at MAGROS e.U.

“Working in the agriculture sector, you can clearly see the severe effects of climate change and consumers’ changing expectations,” explains Habisch. “We have recently seen how important it is to have resilient food production, stable supply chains, and sustainable land management. So, we are always learning about new innovations and staying on top of new developments in the field.”

The oldest transport and logistics company in the world, Gebrüder Weiss, uses an innovative approach to help its customers reduce their carbon footprint.

“Our carbon-neutral service gives customers who are transporting goods via ocean or air the option to fully offset the CO₂ emissions generated during the transport of their cargo. Carbon offsets are purchased through certified climate protection projects,” says Stefan Aebi, country manager Gebrüder Weiss Japan “This initiative gives our customers the opportunity to take a meaningful step towards cutting their emissions.”

Innovations for people
Gebrüder Weiss has also developed its own award-winning technology, which has benefitted thousands of its customers around the world.

“During the pandemic, we introduced a new online portal for our customers called myGW,” states Aebi. “More than 12,000 users in 18 countries can now get real-time information on their transport and logistics orders 24 hours a day. This tool has received an award for exceptional services and innovations from the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber.”

MAGROS e.U.’s Habisch is committed to the long-term success of his clients in Japan.

“We share our knowledge of innovative digital and mechanical systems to make agricultural production more sustainable and to conserve resources,” he says. “We want to help Japanese farmers find new ways to meet the needs of consumers, while also providing them with a stable income that will allow them to support themselves and their families.”

AustriaEnergy emphasises its strong relationship with Japan — and expects great things to come.

“We have had very good experiences with Japanese companies that have invested in projects developed by AustriaEnergy,” says Kantner. “We are currently having conversations about projects on a broader scale and are looking forward to the future.”

Over the coming years, Austria is sure to continue climbing up the innovation ranks.