LEC Given the Green Light As A K1 COMET Center for Excellent Technologies

After the most recent decision by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), Styria remains by far the province with the most COMET Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies. In the last call for K1 centers, a total of ten centers were approved. Styria has an interest in seven of them, and five of these seven have their headquarters in the province.
The Large Engines Competence Center is one of the centers that received a positive evaluation for its “LEC EvoLET” application in the third K1 call. Its funding through the COMET program is guaranteed for the next eight years.

On 11 July 2014 the newly approved Styrian centers were presented at a press conference with Styrian Minister for Economic Affairs Dr. Christian Buchmann, Graz University of Technology’s Vice-rector Univ.-Prof. Dr. Ulrich Bauer and AVL founder Prof. Dr. Helmut List. The joint appearance confirmed the close collaboration between industry and science as well as the cooperation of the competence centers among themselves.

Photo: Steiermark.at; Univ.-Prof. Dr. Thomas Pieber – CBMed, Vice-rector Prof. DI Dr. Ulrich Bauer, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Stefanie Lindstaedt – KnowCenter, LR Dr. Christian Buchmann, Prof. Dr.hc. Helmut List – AVL List GmbH, Mag. DI Dr.Thomas K. Klein – RCPE, DI Dr. Michael Nöst, MBA – BIOENERGY 2020+, Ao. Univ.-Prof. DI Dr. Andreas Wimmer – LEC EvoLET

The competence centers are a driving force behind the Styrian system of innovation. They have made a significant contribution to Styria having Austria’s highest regional R&D rate of 4.7% and also to it being one of Europe’s most innovative regions. I would like to congratulate the consortia of universities and companies on their success. –Minister of Economic Affairs Dr. Christian Buchmann.

We are proud to be part of the Styrian research community and are pleased that our K1 competence center has been approved.

We would like to extend our congratulations to all the other centers that were approved. We look forward to cooperating with you!

Information about the COMET program can be found at https://www.ffg.at/comet.