Development research
Development research is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary area of science. Development-relevant analyses and problem solutions for countries, societies and regions with low infrastructure and which are at risk of poverty are developed on the basis of empirical studies. The thematic framework and the development policy goals of development research are defined by the UN-Sustainable-Development-Goals, (SDGs). Research in cooperation between Austrian higher education institutions, scientific institutions and partner institutions in less and least developed countries is supported and accompanied; the results are made accessible to the scientific community and the interested public.
In its work the OeAD supports the Republic of Austria in meeting the great challenges and comprehensive changes of the time in the sense of the UN Action Plan "Transforming our World: Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development".
The following programmes managed by the OeAD are carried out in the field of development research:
- The Austrian-African Research Network Africa-UniNet, which is financed by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF), was established to enable long-term, stable cooperation between Austrian higher education institutions and African universities. The network promotes new contacts and supports scientific cooperation and innovative and participatory research projects that are thematically related to the SDGs. Since the network's first call in 2020 until the end of 2024 a total of 80 research proposals have been selected for funding in cooperation with universities in 17 African countries.
- The Austrian Partnership Programme in Higher Education and Research for Development (APPEAR), a programme of the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), has put 107 academic partnerships between Austrian higher education institutions and universities and scientific institutions in the priority countries and priority regions of the ADC into practice since the start of the programme at the end of 2009 and provided scholarships to approximately 180 students in master’s and PhD programmes. The third phase of the APPEAR programme will run until 2027 with approximately 30 new projects.
- The Cooperation Development Research programme, financed by the BMBWF, which was open for application for the first time in 2019, is a funding programme to support development research projects. The aim is to support application-oriented cooperation projects between Austrian higher education institutions/research institutions and institutions in countries of the Global South in order to contribute to analysing and solving local challenges and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Costs that can be funded are mobility and material expenses of researchers at Austrian and international partner higher education and research institutions in the context of one- to three-year research projects.
The Education and Research for Development Cooperation Unit creates and enables publications, organises events, e.g. the development policy Film Days, public information and discussion events, produces radio programmes (twice a month) under the title "Welt im Ohr" in cooperation with ORF Ö1 Campus and creates networks on the national and international level with thematically relevant initiatives and institutions. The aim of the networking and public relations activities is to contribute to the further development of a culture of cooperation between Austria and the partner countries that is based on the strengths of the partners and fulfils the "on equal footing" premise.
