About us

The Christian Doppler Research Association (CDG) is considered a pioneer in Austria for successful cooperations between science and the private sector. The form of the cooperation funded by the CDG usually has the following appearance: a research group elaborates fundamental knowledge that flows into the development of new products and processes at commercial partners. This generates a brisk exchange of knowledge, experience and questions between the partners.

For 25 years, CD Laboratories have opened the door for cooperation partners to perform application-orientated basic research of mutual benefit to companies and science. With the JR Centres, the Christian Doppler Research Association has also been promoting cooperation between science and business at universities of applied sciences since 2012.

The Christian Doppler Research Association

  • funds application-orientated basic research,
  • gives companies effective access to new knowledge and
  • operates at the interface between business and science.

For many years, the CDG has committed itself to the use of scientific findings as the basis for the development of innovative products and procedures.

Three principles underpin the success of the CDG’s funding model: the thematic openness, the flexibility and the integration into universities, universities of applied sciences and research institutions.

The characteristics of CD Laboratories and JR Centres

The CDG realises its objectives in CD Laboratories and JR Centres.

Main features of CD Laboratories

Main features of JR Centres

Positioning in the Austrian innovation landscape

The CDG funds application-orientated basic research in CD Laboratories and JR Centres. The funding of pure basic research in Austria takes place through the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), while the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) primarily supports the research carried out by companies. With the CD Laboratories and JR Centres, the CDG is positioned precisely at the interface of science and business, of basis research and business-related research.

A successful cooperation between science and business

A large number of renowned commercial partners as well as the constantly rising number of CD Laboratories and JR Centres are proof of the CDG’s success.

Three principles underpin this success:

The first principle is that of thematic openness. The research programme of a CD Laboratory or a JR Centre is based on a research issue of a company and is processed jointly by science and business. Any and all topics that a company needs to research are important and allowed (bottom-up orientation).

The second principle is flexibility. This applies both to the research units and to the CDG itself. Thanks to this flexibility, the research units can react to new developments during their entire duration of existence, set up new modules, involve new commercial partners and adjust the budget - in other words, the CD Laboratories and JR Centres can “breathe”. The CDG itself guarantees their flexibility through the direct involvement of companies and scientific partners in their ongoing processes and strategy development. In this way it can quickly react to the constant changes in research and innovation and further develop its funding programmes for the future.

The third principle is the integration of the research units: CD Laboratories and JR Centres do not have any legal personality, but are integrated into the university, university of applied sciences or research institution. In this way, they work in an ideal scientific environment, and the limited term can be easily implemented.

Christian Doppler Forschungsgesellschaft

Boltzmanngasse 20/1/3 | 1090 Wien | Tel: +43 1 5042205 | Fax: +43 1 5042205-20 | office@cdg.ac.at

© 2020 Christian Doppler Forschungsgesellschaft