the Austrian Research Association for Roads, Railways and Transport

What the Austrian Research Association for Roads, Railways and Transport does

FSV (Österreichische Forschungsgesellschaft Straße – Schiene – Verkehr / the Austrian Research Association for Roads, Railways and Transport) is a non-profit association (gemeinnütziger Verein) headquartered at Ernst-Melchior-Gasse 24, 1020 Vienna, registered under Austrian law with ZVR number 508962994. It develops, maintains, and publishes technical standards and regulations for the Austrian road, railway, and broader transport infrastructure sector, operating as an independent platform that bridges science, industry, and government. Its work is carried out by over 100 expert committees staffed by honorary members from planning, construction, and transport operations, supported by a small secretariat led by a General Secretary. FSV's guidelines are recommended or mandated by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI) for application in public infrastructure projects.

The core product portfolio consists of three interconnected systems: RVS (Richtlinien und Vorschriften für das Straßenwesen) covering road engineering across 15+ categories, RVE (Richtlinien und Vorschriften für das Eisenbahnwesen) covering railway engineering, and LB-VI (Leistungsbeschreibung Verkehr und Infrastruktur, currently Version 7) providing standardized performance descriptions that serve as the mandatory procurement basis for large portions of Austrian civil engineering contracts. Supporting software products include the FSV-Reader and FSV-LocalServer for document access, calculation tools (ReTra for residual bearing capacity, AsDim for asphalt dimensioning), the Öko-Daten zur LB-VI software enabling greenhouse-gas-based ecological assessment, the Prüfbuch zur LB-VI 07 examination tool, and the Wörterbuch Verkehr & Infrastruktur dictionary (5th edition, summer 2025) with over 23,000 terms drawn from 1,200+ sources. FSV also operates the RSA/RSI certification program for road safety auditors and inspectors.

FSV's business model rests on five revenue streams: annual membership fees from individuals, companies, and public bodies; publication and subscription sales of RVS/RVE/LB-VI in download, print, and CD formats with tiered licensing; software license subscriptions (€270-€1,500 annually based on organization size); event and training fees for seminars, infonachmittage, and the FSV-Verkehrstag with member and youth discounts; and professional certification services for traffic safety experts. Distribution occurs through the FSV online shop (fsv.at), direct mail order, and in-person events, all primarily serving the Austrian market. The organization has no disclosed revenue, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and is not venture-backed, operating instead on member-supported and self-generated funds.

Name

the Austrian Research Association for Roads, Railways and Transport

Legal name

Österreichische Forschungsgesellschaft Straße – Schiene – Verkehr

Website

https://fsv.at

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

FSV is an Austrian non-profit association that develops and publishes technical standards (RVS for roads, RVE for railways) and standardized procurement specifications (LB-VI) for Austria's transport infrastructure sector, serving engineers, public authorities, construction firms, and municipalities with mandatory regulatory backing from the Federal Ministry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transport Infrastructure Technical Standards

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAGAGAC

Engineering & Technical Standards (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical; Codes & Standards)

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Professional & Technical Reference Publishing

SECONDARYTLAKANAO

Regulatory Compliance Audit Support & Documentation (Emissions/Safety/Environmental)

Transportation & Logistics/Vehicle & Equipment Maintenance, Repair & Services (MRO)/Calibration, Diagnostics & Emissions/Compliance Testing

Keywords

• Transport infrastructure standards
• Road engineering guidelines
• Railway engineering regulations
• Civil engineering specifications
• Transport safety certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Publications and Rulebook Sales: Sale of RVS, RVE, and LB-VI publications in various formats (download, subscription, CD), working papers, research reports, and dictionaries. Publications include technical guidelines, performance descriptions, and reference materials for transport infrastructure.
2. Software Licenses: Licensing of FSV software products including Öko-Daten zur LB-VI (Eco-data software) and calculation tools with tiered licensing based on organization size (SMALL, MEDIUM, LARGE, X-LARGE). Includes FSV-Reader for accessing RVS/RVE publications.
3. Event Fees and Training: Revenue from seminars, infonachmittage (afternoon sessions), FSV-Verkehrstag, and training programs. Members receive special pricing; half-price for young experts under 32 years for seminars, trainings, conferences and infonachmittage.
4. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees from ordinary, extraordinary, and supporting members including natural persons, legal entities, public authorities, engineering bureaus, and construction companies.
5. Certification Services: RSA/RSI (Road Safety Audit/Inspection) certification services for traffic safety experts. The FSV Certification Advisory Board makes recommendations to BMIMI for approval of certified experts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FSV develops, publishes, and maintains binding technical standards for Austria's road (RVS), railway (RVE), and transport infrastructure (LB-VI standardized performance descriptions) through more than 100 honorary expert committees, with content mandated or recommended by the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure. It sells these guidelines as publications, digital subscriptions (RVS-CD/RVE-CD), and supporting software (FSV-Reader, FSV-LocalServer, Öko-Daten zur LB-VI, Prüfbuch zur LB-VI, AsDim, ReTra), runs RSA/RSI road safety expert certification, organizes professional seminars and conferences, and publishes the Wörterbuch Verkehr & Infrastruktur dictionary with over 23,000 technical terms.

Product overview

FSV (Österreichische Forschungsgesellschaft Straße – Schiene – Verkehr) operates as a non-profit research association that develops and publishes technical standards and regulations for Austria's transportation infrastructure. The core product portfolio consists of three interconnected systems: RVS (Richtlinien und Vorschriften für das Straßenwesen) for road engineering, RVE (Richtlinien und Vorschriften für das Eisenbahnwesen) for railway engineering, and LB-VI (Leistungsbeschreibung Verkehr und Infrastruktur) for standardized procurement specifications. These regulations are distributed via digital subscription (RVS-CD/RVE-CD) with specialized software including FSV-Reader and FSV-LocalServer. Supporting products include calculation tools (ReTra, AsDim), eco-data software (Öko-Daten zur LB-VI), examination book (Prüfbuch), and the comprehensive Wörterbuch Verkehr & Infrastruktur with over 23,000 terms. FSV also provides certification programs for Road Safety Auditors (RSA) and Inspectors (RSI), professional seminars, and youth promotion programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RVS - Road Engineering Guidelines and Regulations (Richtlinien und Vorschriften für das Straßenwesen) Comprehensive collection of guidelines and regulations for road engineering in Austria, covering planning, construction, operation, traffic safety, tunnel construction, bridge engineering, winter service, and environmental protection. Distributed to civil engineers, transport planners, public authorities, and construction companies; many guidelines are mandated or recommended by the Federal Ministry for use in publicly funded road projects.
• RVE - Railway Engineering Guidelines and Regulations (Richtlinien und Vorschriften für das Eisenbahnwesen) Guidelines and regulations for railway engineering covering railway infrastructure planning, construction, and operations in Austria, including vibration, noise protection, and tunnel construction. Sold as publications, working papers, and digital subscriptions to railway engineers, planners, operators, and public authorities.
• LB-VI - Standardized Performance Descriptions for Transport and Infrastructure (Leistungsbeschreibung Verkehr und Infrastruktur) Standardized performance descriptions serving as the tendering basis for large parts of Austrian civil engineering works. Currently in Version 7. Used by public authorities, engineering bureaus, and construction companies for preparing and evaluating civil engineering tenders.
• RVS-CD / RVE-CD Digital Subscription Annual subscription providing access to the complete current RVS and RVE guideline collections on digital media with two updates per year. Available in 1-seat, 2-seat, 5-seat, office-server, and school license tiers. Targeted at engineering offices, public authorities, and educational institutions needing continuous access to updated standards.
• Wörterbuch Verkehr & Infrastruktur (Dictionary of Transport & Infrastructure) Reference dictionary of transport and infrastructure terminology with more than 23,000 technical terms drawn from over 1,200 sources; the most comprehensive transport-sector dictionary in the German-speaking region. Used by engineers, planners, translators, legal and academic professionals in the transport sector.
• FSV-Reader Software Proprietary software required to open, read, and print RVS and RVE documents, supporting monthly internet-based updates. Available for Microsoft Windows; distributed to subscribers of the RVS-CD / RVE-CD digital subscription.
• FSV-LocalServer Server software for managing and activating RVS/RVE data on Windows Server (2003/2008) for network-wide installations within organizations.
• Öko-Daten zur LB-VI (Eco-Data for LB-VI) Software enabling linkage of climate-relevant data with LB-VI positions to perform ecological directional assessment of projects using greenhouse-gas equivalents through standard construction software. Available in SMALL (€270), MEDIUM (€540), LARGE (€1,080), and X-LARGE (€1,500) annual subscription tiers.
• Prüfbuch zur LB-VI (Examination Book for LB-VI) Software tool accompanying LB-VI Version 7 for quality assurance and verification of construction work. Originally launched 1 January 2017; current functional software released 1 April 2026.
• Road Construction Calculation Software (AsDim and ReTra) Specialized calculation software tools including AsDim (computational dimensioning of asphalt roads per RVS 03.08.68) and ReTra (residual bearing capacity of bituminous structures per RVS 03.08.64). Used by road construction engineers, planners, and engineering bureaus for pavement design and assessment.
• Verkehrszeichenkatalog (Traffic Sign Catalog) Catalog of traffic signs with regulation plans (RVS 05.02.15) available in CDR and DXF file formats for CAD-based traffic sign planning. Used by traffic planners, engineering bureaus, and public authorities designing signage.
• RSA/RSI Road Safety Auditor and Inspector Certification Certification program qualifying road safety auditors (RSA) and road safety inspectors (RSI). FSV trains candidates and its Certification Advisory Board recommends certified experts to the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI) for approval. Required for professionals conducting road safety audits and inspections on the Austrian road network.
• FSV Seminars, Infonachmittage and Conferences Professional development events including full-day seminars, infonachmittage (afternoon info sessions), and conferences on topics such as road drainage, traffic signal planning, mobility management, and Prüfbuch zur LB-VI 07. Offered with member discounts, team discounts, and 50% discount for young experts under 32.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 23,000 technical terms documented from 1,200+ sources in the German-speaking world's largest transport sector dictionary
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bundesministerium für Innovation, Mobilität und Infrastruktur (BMIMI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Austrian Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI) is supported by FSV as an independent platform for transport experts. FSV issues recommendations from its certification advisory board to BMIMI for the approval of RSA/RSI (Road Safety Audit/Inspection) certified experts. Many FSV guidelines are recommended or mandated by BMIMI for application in public infrastructure projects.
• PIARC (World Road Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSV maintains membership in PIARC, the World Road Association, providing international networking and knowledge exchange in road and transport infrastructure across over 140 countries.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fsv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about the Austrian Research Association for Roads, Railways and Transport