In early September 2026, the AI Factory Austria AI:AT welcomed a delegation from the Eastern Partnership (EaP) as part of a study visit organised by the European Commission.
On 9 September 2026, the Eastern Partnership delegation visited AI:AT at the Coworking Hub in Vienna-St. Marx. The visit was part of the study tour “Strengthening Science-Business Collaboration for Resilience and Competitiveness in the EaP Partner Countries”, organised by the European Commission’s Global Service Facility (GSF), DG Research and Innovation (DG RTD), from 7 to 11 September 2026. The study visit was organised by the Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI).
The programme focused on how Austria promotes collaboration between science and industry and how research results can be successfully translated into practical applications.
Insights into the AI Factory Austria
Karl Kugler and Markus Stöhr, Project Leads of the AI Factory Austria, opened the programme with an introduction to AI:AT. They explained how companies, startups and research institutions can access high-performance AI computing infrastructure, what support is available to help them develop their own AI applications, and the role AI:AT plays within the European network of AI Factories.
Peter Biegelbauer, Head of the Ethics Lab, then presented AI’s work on trustworthy AI. His presentation addressed legal aspects, regulation, ethics and compliance – issues that companies face in very practical terms when developing and deploying AI solutions.
Experiences from Horizon Europe
The second part of the morning focused on the participation of Austrian companies in Horizon Europe. Stefan Rohringer, Head of Infineon’s Research and Development Centres in Austria, shared his experience with European research projects and highlighted some of the key lessons learned.
Benedikt Fuchs, Business Development Manager at the Fraunhofer Institute, presented the AI Mobil project. Georg List, Vice President Corporate Strategy at AVL List, provided insights into AVL’s research, technology and innovation activities and the role Horizon Europe plays in supporting them.
To conclude the visit Flexam, Zenta and QBDC – three startups based at the AI:AT Coworking Hub – presented the innovative AI solutions they are currently developing in Vienna-St. Marx.
The visit provided a valuable opportunity to see how research institutions, industry and startups collaborate in Austria and to discuss how experiences from European projects can also benefit the Eastern Partnership countries.
A big thank you to all speakers and guests for the open and insightful exchange!
