Upper Austrian Research
Upper Austrian Research GmbH is a state-owned research coordination and holding company in Linz, Austria, mandated to lead research strategy for the province of Upper Austria. It coordinates 16 public research centers, manages COMET program participation, and transfers technology to industry clients from start-ups to large enterprises.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersHohenstrasse, Austria
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Upper Austrian Research does
Upper Austrian Research GmbH (UAR) is a state-owned research coordination and holding company founded in 1999 and headquartered in Linz, Austria. It serves as the mandated lead company for research of the province of Upper Austria, wholly owned by Business Upper Austria – OÖ Wirtschaftsagentur GmbH and audited by the Austrian Court of Auditors. UAR holds equity stakes in ten public research organizations (CHASE, LCM, PCCL, PROFACTOR, Pro2Future, RECENDT, RISC Software, SAL, SCCH, Wood K plus) and participates in governance of six additional partner research centers (Battery4Life, FFoQSI, HyCentA, K1-MET, LKR, MCL), collectively forming the UAR Innovation Network of 16 specialized institutions spanning materials science, software, mechatronics, hydrogen, batteries, food safety, and production technology.
UAR's core activities include coordinating Upper Austria's research strategy through the #upperVISION2030 framework, managing the province's participation in Austria's COMET excellence program for cooperative research funding, and facilitating technology transfer between public research institutions and industrial clients. Its operational footprint spans start-ups, SMEs, and large industrial concerns (including voestalpine, Infineon, BRP Rotax, KEBA, Magna, and OMV through network center partnerships), with regional coordination across 12 Upper Austrian regions. The company is led by CEO DI Dr. Wilfried Enzenhofer, MBA, employs 11-50 staff, and maintains compliance with GDPR, WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, and the OÖ Landesholding group code of conduct.
Revenue derives from public funding allocations (federal, Land Oberösterreich, and COMET program), shareholding management of member research centers, and coordination services. Recent strategic activity includes a March 2026 innovation partnership with Poland's Łukasiewicz Research Network, ongoing COMET funding rounds (including 24M EUR for COMET Center CREATE! at LCM for 2027-2030), the 2025 onboarding of Battery4Life as a network partner, and positioning around quantum technologies and AI-accelerated production as emerging research verticals.
Upper Austrian Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Upper Austrian Research
- Legal name
- Upper Austrian Research GmbH
- Website
- https://uar.at
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Upper Austrian Research GmbH is a state-owned research coordination and holding company in Linz, Austria, mandated to lead research strategy for the province of Upper Austria. It coordinates 16 public research centers, manages COMET program participation, and transfers technology to industry clients from start-ups to large enterprises.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Upper Austrian Research industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Research Coordination Services
- NAICS
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Management of Companies and Enterprises (55111)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB) (EDADAKAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO)
Keywords
Where Upper Austrian Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hohenstrasse
- HQ country
- Austria
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Upper Austrian Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Research funding and shareholding management: UAR manages shareholdings in public research organizations and participates in governance of research centers. The company coordinates the Austrian COMET excellence program for research funding and facilitates public research funding for industrial innovation projects.
- Research coordination services: Coordinates research strategy for Upper Austria and develops strategic technology fields in cooperation with industry partners, research institutions, and government bodies.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Upper Austrian Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Upper Austrian Research GmbH coordinates research and innovation strategy for the Province of Upper Austria, operating as the lead company for regional research. It manages shareholdings in 10 public research organizations (members of the UAR Innovation Network) and participates in the governance of 6 partner research centers, providing professional innovation strategy support and direct science-to-industry knowledge transfer. The company coordinates Austria's COMET excellence program (K1, K2, and modules) and steers the #upperVISION2030 economic and research strategy in cooperation with industry, universities, and government bodies.
Product overview
Upper Austrian Research GmbH (UAR) is the lead company for research of the province of Upper Austria, functioning as a research coordination and holding body rather than a product company. UAR operates the UAR Innovation Network, which comprises ten member research centers (CHASE, LCM, PCCL, PROFACTOR, Pro2Future, RECENDT, RISC Software, SAL, SCCH, Wood K plus) in which UAR holds shares, and six partner research centers (Battery4Life, FFoQSI, HyCentA, K1-MET, LKR, MCL) where UAR participates in governance. The company provides strategic coordination through the #upperVISION2030 strategy and supports the COMET excellence program for cooperative research. UAR's offerings are entirely research-focused services supporting innovation in Upper Austrian industry rather than commercial products.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- UAR Innovation Network A network of 16 public research organizations (10 members with UAR shareholdings plus 6 partners with UAR governance participation) providing professional support for innovation strategies to companies ranging from start-ups to SMEs to large industrial concerns, facilitating cooperation between industry and university/non-university research partners for direct knowledge transfer.
- COMET Program Support Support services for Austria's COMET excellence program including project development, center establishment, and structural development for cooperative research excellence, coordinating involvement in 9 COMET centers including K1 centers (SCCH, Wood K plus, K1-MET) and K2 center LCM 'Symbiotic Mechatronics.'
- #upperVISION2030 Strategy Coordination Coordination of Upper Austria's rolling planning processes within the regional research landscape, developing strategic technology fields in close collaboration with industry partners, research institutions, and government bodies, aligned with the long-term economic and research strategy.
Companies that use Upper Austrian Research
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Upper Austrian Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Upper Austrian Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- CHASE (Competence Center CHASE GmbH)coreMember of UAR Innovation Network. Research center focused on chemistry and advanced materials. Provides companies access to specialized R&D capabilities in applied chemistry.
- LCM (Linz Center of Mechatronics GmbH)coreMember of UAR Innovation Network. COMET K2 center 'Symbiotic Mechatronics' developing intelligent mechatronic systems. Partners with leading Upper Austrian industrial companies including voestalpine, Infineon, BRP Rotax, KEBA.
- PCCL (Polymer Competence Center Leoben GmbH)coreMember of UAR Innovation Network. Research center specializing in polymer and plastics technology, non-destructive testing, and materials science.
- PROFACTOR GmbHcoreMember of UAR Innovation Network. Research center focused on production automation, robotics, and AI integration for smart manufacturing.
- Pro2Future GmbHcoreMember of UAR Innovation Network. Research center addressing production and product-related services with AI, cognitive systems, and smart systems integration.
- RECENDT (Research Center for Non-Destructive Testing GmbH)coreMember of UAR Innovation Network. Specializes in non-destructive testing, materials characterization, and sensor technologies for industrial quality assurance.
- RISC Software GmbHcoreMember of UAR Innovation Network. Software research center covering AI, data science, and IT solutions with connections to JKU Hagenberg.
- SAL (Silicon Austria Labs GmbH)coreMember of UAR Innovation Network. Austria's top research center for electronic-based systems (EBS) with locations in Graz, Villach, and Linz. Research areas include microsystems, sensors, wireless systems, power electronics, and embedded systems. 50.1% owned by Republic of Austria.
- SCCH (Software Competence Center Hagenberg GmbH)coreMember of UAR Innovation Network. COMET K1 center 'INTEGRATE' focused on Data & Software Science, AI, and quantum computing. Ownership: JKU Linz 33.3%, UAR 33.3%, Partner firms association 33.3%.
- Wood K plus (Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH)coreMember of UAR Innovation Network. COMET K1 center for wood and bio-based materials research. Focus on bioeconomy, sustainable materials, and circular economy. Ownership: UAR 48%, BABEG 26%, JKU Linz 13%, BOKU Wien 13%.
- Battery4Life GmbHcorePartner of UAR Innovation Network (started 2025). COMET K1 center focused on safety and sustainability of lithium-ion battery technologies. Partnership: TU Graz 48%, Karl Franzens Universität Graz 12%, Magna 20%, AVL DiTest 20%.
- FFoQSI (Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety & Innovation)corePartner of UAR Innovation Network. COMET K1 center for food and feed production chain safety and sustainability. Partnership: Vetmeduni Vienna 37%, BOKU Wien 35%, FH OÖ 28%.
- HyCentA (Hydrogen Research Centre Austria)corePartner of UAR Innovation Network. COMET K1 center for hydrogen economy research covering production, storage, distribution, and applications in mobility, industry, and energy. Partnership: TU Graz 50%, Joanneum Research 24%, Magna Steyr 13%, OMV 13%. Oberösterreich contributes 1.5M EUR.
- K1-MET GmbHcorePartner of UAR Innovation Network. COMET K1 center for metallurgical excellence and green metallurgy. Focus on hydrogen in steel production, CO2 reduction, and circular economy. Partnership: JKU Linz 10%, Montanuniversität Leoben 35%, Primetals Technologies 20%, voestalpine 35%.
- LKR (Leichtmetallkompetenzzentrum Ranshofen GmbH)corePartner of UAR Innovation Network. Part of AIT Austrian Institute of Technology. Develops lightweight metal alloys, sustainable processing via wire-based additive manufacturing, casting, and forming technologies.
- MCL (Materials Center Leoben Forschung GmbH)corePartner of UAR Innovation Network. COMET K2 center 'IC-MPPE' for integrated computational materials engineering. Focus on metallic and ceramic materials, simulation, and sustainable manufacturing. Partnership: Montanuniversität Leoben 47.5%, Joanneum Research 17.5%, Leoben Holding 15%, ÖAW 12.5%, TU Wien 5%, TU Graz 2.5%.
- EARTO (European Association of Research and Technology Organisations)majorEuropean network connecting research and technology organizations. UAR maintains membership for international networking and visibility.
- Forschung AustriamajorNational Austrian association representing research organizations. UAR participates for domestic networking and policy coordination.
- Industrie 4.0 ÖsterreichmajorNational platform for Industry 4.0 coordination. UAR participates to align network research with digital transformation priorities.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Upper Austrian Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology: Austria's largest non-university applied research organization with federal ownership; overlaps directly with UAR's member LKR and shares the same COMET/K1-MET ecosystem and broad applied-research portfolio.
- CSEM: Swiss Centre for Electronics and Microtechnology — a publicly funded applied-research center in microelectronics, sensors, and digitalization that closely mirrors the focus areas of UAR members SCCH, RECENDT, and SAL.
- Joanneum Research: Styria's regional non-university research company, structurally analogous to UAR as an Austrian state-owned applied-research holding body with multiple institute divisions serving industry and public-sector clients.
Broad incumbents
- CSIRO: Australia's national science agency and one of the world's largest publicly funded applied-research organizations; comparable scale-of-mission and industry-coordination role to what UAR performs provincially.
- Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Germany's flagship network of 76 applied-research institutes; analogous operating model (publicly funded cooperative R&D for industry) but at much greater scale and federal scope than UAR's provincial mandate.
- SINTEF: Norway's largest independent research organization, operating across technology, natural sciences, and social sciences with a similar cooperative-research and industry-partnership orientation to UAR.
- TNO: Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research — a publicly funded applied-research holding company connecting scientific capability with industry and government, parallel to UAR's network-coordination model.
- Austrian Cooperative Research (ACR): National umbrella association for cooperative research in Austria with member institutions across multiple federal states; directly comparable to UAR's network-coordination role at the Austrian cooperative-research level.
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finland's national applied-research centre covering materials, digital, energy, and industrial systems; comparable in mission (applied research for industry) and structure (state-owned research entity) to UAR.
Regional players
- Eurecat: Catalonia's main technology center consortium pooling applied-research capabilities for SMEs and large industry; structurally similar to UAR as a regional applied-research coordination entity, though operating in a different geography.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Upper Austrian Research social profiles
Digital presenceUpper Austrian Research compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Upper Austrian Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Upper Austrian Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Upper Austrian Research subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Upper Austrian Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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Upper Austrian Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Upper Austrian Research
What does Upper Austrian Research do?
Upper Austrian Research GmbH coordinates research and innovation strategy for the Province of Upper Austria, operating as the lead company for regional research. It manages shareholdings in 10 public research organizations (members of the UAR Innovation Network) and participates in the governance of 6 partner research centers, providing professional innovation strategy support and direct science-to-industry knowledge transfer. The company coordinates Austria's COMET excellence program (K1, K2, and modules) and steers the #upperVISION2030 economic and research strategy in cooperation with industry, universities, and government bodies.
Is Upper Austrian Research a public or private company?
Upper Austrian Research is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Upper Austrian Research founded?
Upper Austrian Research was founded in 1999. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Upper Austrian Research based?
Upper Austrian Research is headquartered in Hohenstrasse, Austria, in the Europe region.
How does Upper Austrian Research make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Research funding and shareholding management is the primary driver. The others are research coordination services.
Who are Upper Austrian Research's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, CSEM and Joanneum Research. Broad incumbents are CSIRO, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, SINTEF, TNO, Austrian Cooperative Research (ACR) and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Eurecat is listed as a regional player.
Does Upper Austrian Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for Upper Austrian Research.
What industry is Upper Austrian Research in?
Upper Austrian Research's product category is Research Coordination Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADAKAH, Research Administration & Compliance (Sponsored Programs, IRB/REB), with a secondary code of EDAEALAO, Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance). Its NAICS code is 5416 and its SIC code is 8742.