EFAtec 2020

REVIEW ALPBACH TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM FUNDAMENTALS Alpbacher Technologiegespräche 2020

DIE DIESJÄHRIGEN ALPBACHER TECHNOLOGIE‑­ GESPRÄCHE WAREN CORONA-BEDINGT IN JEDER HINSICHT AUSSERGEWÖHNLICH UND FANDEN ALS DIGITALES HYBRIDSYMPOSIUM STATT. WIR DANKEN AN DIESER STELLE ALLEN PARTNERINNEN UND PARTNERN FÜR IHRE UNTERSTÜTZUNG. DIESE HABEN ERST DIE TECHNOLOGIEGESPRÄCHE MIT IHREM HOHEN QUALITÄTSANSPRUCH MÖGLICH GEMACHT. THIS YEAR'S ALPBACH TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM WAS EXCEPTIONAL IN EVERY RESPECT - DUE TO THE CORONA EFFECT, THEY WERE HELD AS A DIGITAL HYBRID SYMPOSIUM. WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK ALL OUR PARTNERS FOR THEIR SUPPORT. THEY MADE IT POSSIBLE TO ORGANIZE THE ALPBACH TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM WITH ITS HIGH QUALITY STANDARDS.

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Die Alpbacher Technologiegespräche werden seit mehr als 35 Jahren vom AIT Austrian ­Institute of Technology und ORF Radio ­Österreich 1 in enger Kooperation mit dem Europäischen Forum Alpbach veranstaltet.

For more than 35 years the Alpbach ­Technology Symposium has been organized

by AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and ORF ­Radio Österreich 1 in close cooperation with the European Forum Alpbach.

INHALT 04 // STATEMENTS Zum Geleit: Franz Fischler, Monika Eigensperger, Hannes Androsch, Wolfgang Knoll.

06 // PLENARY SESSIONS Generalthema: Fundamentals.

06 // RTI TALK Neue Aspekte für Österreichs Forschungssystem.

08 // BUILDING A TRUSTWORTHY ECONOMY Aufbau von fairen Gesellschaftssystemen im digitalen Zeitalter.

10 // A NEW POLICY FOR INNOVATION AND INDUSTRY Potenziale und Chancen für eine neue europäische Industriepolitik.

12 // TICKET TO BERLIN Junge Wissenschaftler*innen glänzen mit herausragenden Ideen.

14 // CLIMATE AND THE ENVIRONMENT – EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES Die Klimakrise als Chance für die Weiterentwicklung unserer Gesellschaft.

16 // LIVING WITH AI – OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR SOCIETY Spannende und alternative Herangehensweisen zur Nutzung von KI.

18 // COMPLEXITY SCIENCE – CORONA AND THE CONSEQUENCES Richtiger Umgang mit Daten und die Zukunft der Komplexitätsforschung.

20 // GENDER POLICIES IN DAILY PRACTICE

IMPRESSUM Herausgeber, Medieninhaber und Inhalt Alpbacher Technologiegespräche AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH Giefinggasse 4, 1210 WIen cmc@ait.ac.at, www.ait.ac.at Erscheinungsort und Termin Wien, Oktober 2020 Projektteam Alpbacher Technologiegespräche AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH Mag. Michael H. Hlava (Leitung) Claudia Klement Silvia Haselhuhn Daniel Pepl, MAS MBA Giefinggasse 4, 1210 WIen cmc@ait.ac.at, www.ait.ac.at Redaktion, Gestaltung und Satz Harald Hornacek, Alfred Bankhamer, Martin Kugler Layout: Repromedia/Sofia Deak Produktionsleitung: Joachim Mittelstedt Druck Wograndl Druck GmbH 7210 Mattersburg, Druckweg 1 Verleger Verlag Holzhausen GmbH 1110 Wien, Leberstraße 122

Wie Firmen und Mitarbeitende von Diversitätsmanagement profitieren.

21 // BREAKOUT SESSIONS Neben den Plenary Sessions gab es bei den Alpbacher Technologiegesprächen auch heuer zwölf qualitativ hochwertige Breakout Sessions. Renommierte Partnerinnen übernehmen jeweils die Organisation und Ausgestaltung des Themas und ­ermöglichen einen vertiefenden Blick aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven.

Hier finden Sie die Zusammenfassungen.

In addition to the plenary sessions, the Alpbach Technology Symposium also included twelve high-quality breakout sessions this year. Renowned partners are ­responsible for organizing and structuring the topic and provide an in-depth view from different perspectives. Here you can find the summaries.

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Gedruckt nach der Richtlinie „Druckerzeugnisse“ des Österreichischen Umweltzeichens, Wograndl Druck GmbH, UW-Nr. 924

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Franz Fischler, President European Forum Alpbach

Monika Eigensperger, ORF Radio Director

SCIENCE & INNOVATION – "FUNDAMENTALS" OF OUR SOCIETY

FOUNDATIONS OF THE FUTURE

For years now, populist, anti-democratic and otherwise backward-looking forces have been trying to delegitimize science and elites in general and equate fact-based findings with personal opinions. Fundamentally fact-based decision-making is important for our survival. In the corona crisis, political decisions were suddenly made on the basis of scientific findings.

More than 60,000 studies dealing with the corona virus, consequences of the corona pandemic and possible solutions are currently recorded in the World Health Organization (WHO) database. The expectations on pandemic research are high.

However, basic research must also address other topics in order to use the versatility and robustness of the science system to lay the foundations for overcoming the crises of tomorrow.

The Technology Symposium made it clear that phenomena such as the current pandemic situation and the climate catastrophe by no means exist independently of each other, but have common causes and also direct effects on each other, as was shown, e.g., by the restriction of mobility. A shift towards sustainability in the mobility sector is urgently needed. It is important that new technologies such as AI are always used in such a way that they serve humanity and improve life.

Organizing the European Forum 2020 was a challenge. I am therefore particularly proud to be able to say that there are strong teams behind our organization and also behind our partner organizations such as AIT and Ă–1, for whom innovative thinking and the constant reinvention of our event is an integral part of their work.

In this "exceptional year", the Technology Symposium once again addressed a wide range of topics that demonstrate the significance of this event as a "trend radar" and forum for future topics. The focus on complexity research, a trademark of the TEC, is of particular relevance due to the increased need for simulation and the translation of complex scenarios into scientific recommendations for political action. The surge in digitalisation triggered by the pandemic and the advance of Artificial Intelligence affects the foundations of our social and economic system. The fact that new "team solutions" of man and machine were discussed at the Technology Symposium in a "tandem" that does not blindly rely on AI solutions is an encouraging approach of technological maturity.

How to not only use technology but also master it is one of the fundamental questions linking science and society. They require presentation and translation by the media. For many years, Ă–1 has been a partner of the Technology Symposium and offers a media platform for debating these current questions regarding the future in the fields of science, technology, and society.

Photos: ORF/Ramstorfer, ORF/Hans Leitner

Europe is facing many challenges. The climate crisis, which really hit the headlines only in 2019, is an example of a much greater threat than the corona pandemic. Climate change deniers continue to sit in high offices almost everywhere in the world. Lax laws still exist that offer environmental sinners a number of loopholes or opportunities for delay. An immediate, united and above all effective response from all countries of the world is absolutely necessary.

It remains to be seen how long the pandemic will be with us.

But we will do our best again in 2021 to provide an ideal framework for building strong intra-European and international relations. For there is nothing more important for our future than mutual support and trust.

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Hannes Androsch, President of the AIT supervisory board

Wolfgang Knoll, AIT Managing Director

MORE INVESTMENTS IN R&D AND EDUCATION

AN EXCEPTIONAL YEAR IN EVERY RESPECT

Under the general topic of "Fundamentals", the Alpbach Technology Symposium 2020 addressed the exceptional situation of the Covid-19 crisis in many discussions this year.

Crises in particular remind us of what is fundamental for our society and where there are still problems that must be solved urgently in order to create a better future. There is an urgent need for much stronger cooperation and a joint research strategy at the European level, for example. The topic of RTI is crucial for the competitiveness and development of a society. Hence, Europe has yet to make up a lot of ground in the current technology battle with the US and China. This applies in particular to areas such as digital platforms, microelectronics, or Artificial Intelligence, which will significantly determine our future.

The year 2020 has been an exceptional year in every respect for the Alpbach Technology Symposium, which has been ­organized by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and ORF Radio Österreich 1 in cooperation with the European Forum Alpbach since 1983. Due to the corona pandemic, the conversations had to be converted into a digital hybrid format within a short period of time. The effort has been worthwhile.

The Technology Symposium alone recorded between 2,700 and 3,000 visits per day, and as many as three Ministers took part.

One focus of the discussions was Corona. Handling this pandemic was intensively reflected upon in the plenary session "Complexity Science – Corona and the Consequences".

Of course we have also turned our attention to the climate crisis. The panel discussion with our scientific partner, the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, was at the same time a journey to global research programmes in the Arctic and the Atlantic while also providing a view from above with the satellite monitoring initiative Copernicus. Data that are accessible to all are collected here for an evidence-based climate policy. The session "Living with AI" provided a slightly different perspective from the world of art. The insight: ­ A much stronger multidisciplinary and multicultural approach is needed to solve our future problems. This also urgently requires a paradigm shift in the education and training systems.

This year, the Alpbach Technology Symposium, in its hybrid form, has brought together more people than ever before.

A big thank you! to all helpers, partners and sponsors!

We are proud of the fact that with 4 highly professional live streaming studios in Alpbach and the APA press center studio in Vienna we recorded by far the strongest performance and concentrated technology. The theme for next year is "The great trans­formation". There should be a real, human encounter in ­Alpbach again, without having to forego the achievements of digitalization.

Photos: ORF/Hans Leitner, AIC/ krischanz.zeiller

Austria, too, must considerably step up its investments in its R&D and education systems if it is to join the ranks of innovation leaders. This year, the Yearbook of the Technology Symposium "Discussing Technology: Complexity" focuses in particular on the complex relationships in areas such as biology, health, climate, or economics. Fittingly, the plenary session "Complexity Science – Corona and the Consequences" impressively illustrated how quickly this still young science has been able to provide decision makers with concrete help with its models and forecasts.

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01 / PLENARY SESSION RTI POLICY TALK Hannes Androsch (AIT), Heinz Faßmann (BMBWF), Leonore Gewessler (BMK),Georg Knill (IV), Margarete Schramböck (BMDW) // Chair: Gerald Groß

Nach den Eröffnungsworten in Alpbach von EFA-Präsident Franz Fischler und AIT-Geschäftsführer Wolfgang Knoll sowie einer künstlerischen Video-Intervention des diesjährigen ARTTEC-Partners, der Universität für Angewandte Kunst Wien, startete der traditionelle RTI-Talk im APA Press Center in Wien.

Das Leitthema: Wie kann Österreich endlich in die Gruppe der „Innovation Leaders“ in Europa aufsteigen.

Klimaschutz- und Innovationsministerin Leonore Gewessler ging gleich auf das vieldiskutierte neue Forschungsfinanzierungsgesetz ein. Dies sei ein Meilenstein, der in exzellenter Kooperation mit ihren beiden Ministerkolleg*innen entstanden sei. Dank mehrjähriger Budgets bringe es erstmals Planungs- und Finanzierungssicherheit für klar definierte zentrale Forschungseinrichtungen.

Kritik gab es wegen der noch offenen Finanzierungsfrage, die erst im Herbst verhandelt werden soll. „Wir drei sind ein starkes Team für die Forschungs­ finanzierung“, so Gewessler. Festgeschrieben wurden auch ein Kürzungsverbot und eine klare Wachstums- orientierung. Ein wichtiger Impuls für die Forschungslandschaft seien zudem die 300 Millionen Euro für angewandte Forschung im Klimaschutz aus dem Konjunkturpaket. Das bedeute eine 20prozentige Budgetsteigerung für das Klimaschutzministerium.

Wirtschaftsministerin Margarete Schram­ böck sprach über den Zusammenhang 6

so Knill. Eine große Enttäuschung sei von Digitalisierung, Forschung, Wirtdaher die Kürzung des Horizon-Euroschaftsentwicklung und Resilienz. Corope-Budgets von den geforderten 120 na habe gezeigt, dass wir neben der Mrd. Euro auf 100 Mrd. Euro. Knill forForschung auch von der Produktion in derte für Österreich eine neue FTI-TechÖsterreich und Europa abhängen. „Das nologieoffensive in der Höhe von einer allerwichtigste ist aber, dass wir den Mrd. Euro, die teils aus den Mitteln des Transfer von Wissenschaft zur Wirtschaft noch verstärken“, so Schramböck. höher ausverhandelten EU-Rabatts stammen könnte. Nur durch mehr InvesErst innovative Produkte und Dienstleistitionen in F&E sei ein Aufstieg zu den tungen könnten den Wirtschaftsstandort Innovation Leaders erreichbar. Österreich stärken und hochwertige „Die Signale wurden gehört, aber nicht Arbeitsplätze schaffen. immer umgesetzt“, resümierte AIT-AufWissenschaftsminister Heinz Faßmann sichtsratspräsident Hannes Androsch ging auf den FTI-Pakt ein, der im Herbst die viele Vorschläge und Beschlüsse der unter anderem die konkreten Informatiletzten Jahre. Im Ministerratsentwurf onen zur Finanzierung für das neue vor zwei Jahren seien etwa schon alle Forschungsfinanzierungsgesetz bringen wichtigen Maßnahmen enthalten gewesoll. „Die Idee ist hier klar“, so Faßmann, sen, außer eben die nötigen Finanzmittel „die Politik diskutiert und berät über dafür. Das FTI-Thema sei essenziell für strategische Ziele. Aber dann zieht sie die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit eines Landes. sich aus dem operativen Geschäft zuDas zeige etwa der aktuelle Technolorück." Auch die Ministerien sollen den giekampf zwischen den USA und China.

Forscher*innen die nötige Freiheit las„Wir wissen, was zu tun ist, aber sind sen, um Innovationen zu schaffen. „Wir nicht fähig, es umzusetzen.“ Das Geld drei kämpfen dafür, dass mehr als biswäre da, so Androsch, allein in den her zur Verfügung steht“, so Faßmann, letzten zehn Jahren hätte es durch die „wir müssen uns aus der Krise hinausinniedrigen Zinsen 62 Mrd. Euro Zinservestieren.“ sparnisse für die österreichische RegieGeorg Knill, Präsident der IV (Industrielrung gegeben. lenvereinigung), wies auf die über eine Million Beschäftigten im produzierenden Sektor hin. Die Industrie trage 29 Prozent zum BIP bei. Knill rechnet damit, dass es zwei bis drei Jahre dauern werde, bis die Wirtschaft wieder das Niveau vor der Krise erreicht. „FTI ist das Blut in den Adern der modernen Industrie“, REVIEW #Efatec 2020

Photo: AIT/Johannes Zinner

Heinz Faßmann (Minister for Education and Science), Leonore Gewessler (Minister for Climate Action), Margarete Schramböck (Minister for Digitalisation), Gerald Groß (Moderator), Georg Knill (President of the Federation of Austrian Industries), Hannes Androsch (Chairman of the AIT Supervisory Board) (from left)

After the opening words in Alpbach by EFA President Franz Fischler and AIT Managing Director Wolfgang Knoll as well as an artistic video intervention by this year's ARTTEC partner University of Applied Arts Vienna, the traditional RTI-Talk started at the APA Press Center in Vienna. The central topic: How can Austria finally make it into the group of "Innovation Leaders" in Europe? Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler immediately addressed the much-discussed new Research Financing Act, a milestone that has been achieved in excellent cooperation with her two ministerial colleagues.

For the first time, thanks to budgets spanning several years, it provides planning and financing security for clearly defined central research institutions.

Some criticism was voiced about the still open question of financing, which will not be negotiated until the fall. "The three of us are a strong team for research funding," says Gewessler. A ban on cutbacks and a clear growth orientation were also codified. The 300 million euros for applied research into climate protection from the economic stimulus package also provides an important impetus for the research landscape. This means a 20 percent budget increase for the Ministry for CliREVIEW #Efatec 2020

mate Action. The Minister of Economics, Margarete Schramböck, spoke about the connection between digitalisation, research, economic development and resilience. Corona has shown that we not only depend on research but also on production in Austria and Europe. “However, the most important thing is that we further intensify the transfer from science to business," said Schramböck. Only innovative products and services can strengthen Austria as a business location and create high-quality jobs. Science Minister Heinz Faßmann addressed the RTI pact, which is to provide concrete information on financing for the new Research Financing Act in autumn. "The idea here is clear," says Faßmann, "Politicians discuss and deliberate on strategic goals. But they then withdraw from the operative business." The ministries should also give researchers the freedom they need to create innovations. "The three of us are fighting for more available means than before," says Faßmann, "We have to invest ourselves out of the crisis." Georg Knill of the IV (Federation of Austrian Industries) pointed to the more than one million employees in the manufacturing sector.

Industry contributes 29 percent to the GDP. Knill expects that it will take two to

three years for the economy to return to its pre-crisis levels. "RTI is the blood in the veins of modern industry," says Knill.

He said that the reduction of the Horizon Europe budget from the required 120 billion euros to 100 billion euros was therefore a great disappointment. Knill called for a new RTI technology offensive for Austria in the amount of one billion euros, which could in part come from the funds of the higher negotiated EU rebate.

He said that only an increase in R&D investment would enable the advance to the ranks of the innovation leaders. "The signals were heard, but not always implemented", Hannes Androsch summed up the many proposals and resolutions of recent years. For example, two years ago, all important measures had already been included in the draft of the Council of Ministers, except for the necessary financial resources. According to him, the RTI topic is essential for the competitiveness of a country. This is illustrated by the current technology war between the U.S. and China. "We know what has to be done, but we are not able to implement it."

According to Androsch, the money is there; in the last ten years alone, low interest rates have saved the Austrian government 62 billion euros in interest.

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02 / PLENARY SESSION BUILDING A TRUSTWORTHY ECONOMY Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland (MIT) // Chair: Andreas Jäger

Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland, Professor for Media Arts and Sciences sowie Toshiba Professor am MIT in Cambridge/Massachusetts, ging in seinem Video-Vortrag und dem folgenden Chat mit Moderator Andreas Jäger auf den zunehmenden Vertrauensverlust in Institutionen, Regie­ rungen und die digitale Wirtschaft ein – oft verursacht durch massive Datenschutz-Verletzungen. Die Hauptfrage: Wie lässt sich im Zeitalter der Digitalisierung ein für alle Segmente der Gesellschaft faires ökonomisches System aufbauen? „Für den Aufbau einer vertrauenswürdigen Wirtschaft sind zuerst einmal Verlässlichkeit und Kontrolle erforderlich“, so Pentland. Aktuell hätten die Menschen aber kein Vertrauen mehr in die Daten- und AI-Industrie.

Und selbst das Vertrauen in die Regierungen sei stark gefallen. Dagegen müsse rasch etwas unternommen werden, um größeren Schaden für die Gesellschaft zu vermeiden. „Wir müssen unser Denken verändern“, sagte Pentland. Anstelle von diktierten autokratischen Regeln für alle, bedürfe es mehr gegenseitiges Lernen sowie lokale, Community-basierte Strukturen. Die Menschen und Communities müssten wieder selbst über die Nutzung ihrer Daten entscheiden können. Erst dann kann wieder in Datenauswertungen und auf Technologien wie Künstliche Intelligenz vertraut werden.

Um dies zu erreichen, sollten zuerst einmal entsprechende Regularien zum Urheberrecht und der digitalen Identität geschaffen werden. „Menschen müssen die Möglichkeit haben, ihr Territorium in der digitalen Sphäre abzustecken“, so 8

Pentland, „das ist aber in vielen Staaten nicht möglich.“ Deshalb sei dies auch ein wichtiges Ziel der UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Ein weiterer wichtiger Punkt: Anstatt Daten bedingungslos zu teilen, sollte es besser eine Art Lizensierungsmodell geben, bei dem die eigenen Daten nur für einen bestimmten Zweck und Zeitraum freigegeben werden. Eine Computerarchitektur, Open Algorithms, ermögliche dies schon. Der Pionier für dieses System sei Estland. Hier werden die Daten nicht geteilt, sondern Fragen gestellt, die die Dateneigner beantworten oder nicht. Der Verzicht auf große Datenseen mache das System zudem viel sicherer. „Vertrauen ist etwas Menschliches“, meinte Pentland, “vertrauenswürdig ist etwas, wenn das System in deinem Interesse arbeitet.“ In Gesellschaften mit hohem Vertrauen interagieren die Menschen oft und divers. Und mit der Diversität der Interaktionen steige zugleich das soziale Vertrauen, wie Studien in Großbritannien zeigen. Mit einem Vertrauensindex lassen sich etwa zugleich die Entwicklung des BIP, der Verbrechensraten oder der Kindersterblichkeit vorhersagen.

Vertrauensbasierte Communities gab es schon vor vielen Jahren. „Nun sehen wir, dass sich erste ´Daten-Gewerkschaften´ bilden“, so Pentland. Erste Communities würden schon heute ihre wirtschaftliche Entwicklung durch die Nutzung ihrer Daten dramatisch verbessern.

Wichtig sei aber hier wie etwa auch in Gesundheitssystemen, dass nicht jede Lösung für jede Community passt. Das Modell "One size fits all" wird zu "One size fits none".

Moderator Andreas Jäger with Alex "Sandy" Pentland, Professor at the Massa­ chusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (livestream from Boston)

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Photo: ORF/Hans Leitner

Alex 'Sandy' Pentland, Professor for Media Arts and Sciences as well as Toshiba Professor at MIT in Cambridge/Massachusetts, addressed the increasing loss of trust in institutions, governments and the digital economy – often caused by massive data protection violations – in his video lecture and the subsequent chat with presenter Andreas Jäger. The main question: How can an economic system that is fair for all segments of society be established in the age of digitalisation?

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"To build a trustworthy economy, the first things you need are reliability and control," Pentland said. Currently, however, people no longer have confidence in the data and AI industries. And even confidence in governments has sharply declined. Something must be done quickly about this to avoid greater harm to society. "We must change our way of thinking," Pentland said. Rather than autocratic rules for all, dictated from above, more mutual learning as well as local, com-

munity-based structures are needed.

People and communities should once again be able to decide for themselves how their data are used. Only then can trust in data analysis and technologies such as Artificial Intelligence be restored.

In order to achieve this, appropriate regulations on copyright and digital identity should be created first. "People must have the ability to stake out their territory in the digital sphere," Pentland said, "but that's not possible in many countries." That is why this is also an important goal of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Another important point: Rather than sharing data without conditions, it would be preferable to have a kind of licensing model where one's own data is only shared for a specific purpose and period of time. One computer architecture, Open Algorithms, already makes this possible.

He said that Estonia was the pioneer of this system. There, the data are not shared, but questions are asked which the data owners answer or not. Doing without massive seas of data also makes the system much more secure.

"Trust is human," Pentland said, "a system is trustworthy if it works in your best interest." In societies with a high level of trust, people interact often and in a diverse way. And the diversity of interactions also leads to an increase in social trust, as studies in Great Britain have shown. A trust index also allows predicting GDP development, crime rates, or infant mortality.

Trust-based communities already existed many years ago. "We are now witnessing the formation of the first 'data unions'," Pentland says. The first communities are already dramatically improving their economic development through the use of their data. However, just as in health care systems, it is important to note here that not every solution is suitable for every community. The model "One size fits all" turns into "One size fits none".

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03 / PLENARY SESSION A NEW POLICY FOR TECHNOLOGY, INNOVATION AND INDUSTRY Hannes Androsch (AIT), Sabine Herlitschka (RTD-Council), Kerstin Jorna (EU), Eva Stejskalová (MicroStep) // Chair: Ludovit Garzik (RTD-Council) This industry talk was supported by Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development

Kerstin Jorna, Generaldirektorin für Binnenmarkt und Industrie der EU-Kommission, forderte gleich zu Beginn, dass mehr kooperiert sowie die Innovationskraft der grünen und digitalen Transformation besser genutzt werden müssten: „Nur so kann es Europa aus der Krise schaffen.“ Ein Beispiel dazu: Die EU halte nur drei Prozent am weltweiten Batteriemarkt, Batterien stellen aber 40 Prozent des Werts eines Elektroautos dar. Deshalb benötige Europa eine Batterie-Allianz, die heute auch schon über 400 Unternehmen umfasse. Unternehmen sollten sich bei den großen Themen und Vorhaben verstärkt zusammenschließen. Das gelte in vielen Bereichen wie Wasserstoff, wo schon eine Wasserstoff-Strategie und Allianz gegründet wurde, oder On livestream: Kerstin Jorna, Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW), European Commission

auch bei der Renovierung von Gebäuden, die 40 Prozent des CO2-Ausstoßes verursachen. „Wir benötigen einen holistischen Ansatz in der europäischen Industriepolitik“, so Jorna.

AIT-Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender Hannes Androsch bedauerte, dass Europa in Zeiten des Digitalen Zeitalters gerade bei Schlüsselthemen wie den digitalen Plattformen, 5G, Microchips oder Artificial Intelligence weit hinter den USA und China liege. Zugleich führe eine Gig-Economy mit temporären und flexiblen Jobs zu einem neuen Prekariat.

Gerade für kleine Staaten wie Österreich, die allein im Wettbewerb nicht mithalten können, sei es wichtig, dass es in Europa nicht nur einen gemeinsamen Markt, sondern auch eine gemeinsame Strategie gäbe. Dass im neuen EU-Budget nun die Ressourcen für Forschung, Gesundheit und Umwelt gekürzt wurden, sei laut Androsch eine Schande: „Europa muss noch viel mehr tun, um aufzuholen.“ Sabine Herlitschka, Vorstandsvorsitzende der Infineon Technologies Austria AG, wies auf eine zunehmend gefährliche Abhängigkeit Europas in wichtigen Technologiebereichen hin. So werden nur mehr drei der 20 weltweit größten Mikro­ elektronikunternehmen von Europa aus geleitet. „Es gibt hier nun eine neue geopolitische Situation, in der es um

den Wettbewerb um Technologie geht.

Wissen und besonders Forschung und Technologie sind die neuen Währungen“, betonte Herlitschka. Nur wenn wir geeint als europäische Region auftreten, würden wir wettbewerbsfähig bleiben.

Eva Stejskalová, Managing Director des slowakischen Unternehmens MicroStep und Mitglied der Horizon 2020 Highlevel Strategy Group on Industrial Technologies, sprach über die großen Unterschiede in der Industrie in der EU – etwa in Sachen Arbeitsproduktivität, die etwa in der Slowakei nur halb so hoch wie im EU-Durchschnitt sei. Die neue europäische Industriepolitik sollte die unterschiedlichen Potenziale ausbauen, wozu eine Symbiose der nationalen und europäischen Industriepolitik nötig sei. „Im Automotivsektor könnten eigene Plattformen für kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen die Effizienz deutlich steigern“, ist Eva Stejskalová überzeugt.

Weiters wurde besonders über die digitale Transformation, die Energiewende, Zukunftstechnologien wie Wasserstoff und Elektromobilität, die Ausbildung von Fachkräften, künstliche Intelligenz, die Vision von einer europäischen Daten-Cloud sowie den hohen Wert von Daten diskutiert. Die Corona-Krise habe gezeigt, wie wichtig die systemrelevanten Sektoren seien und welches Innovationspotenzial in Europa vorhanden sei.

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Photos: AIT/Johannes Zinner

Ludovit Garzik (Moderator, Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development), Eva ­Stejskalová (Managing Director, MicroStep, spol. s.r.o.), Sabine H ­ erlitschka (CEO, Infineon Techno­logies Austria AG; Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development), Hannes Androsch (Chairman of the AIT Supervisory Board) (from left)

Kerstin Jorna, Director-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW) of the EU Commission, demanded right from the start that there be more cooperation and better use of the innovative power of the green and digital transformations: "Only in this way can Europe make it out of the crisis." A case in point: The EU has only three percent of the global battery market, but batteries represent 40 percent of the value of an electric car.

This is why Europe needs a battery alliance, which today already includes over 400 companies. Companies should join forces to a greater extent when it comes to the major topics and projects. This applies in many areas such as hydrogen, where a hydrogen strategy and alliance has already been established, or in the renovation of buildings, which account for 40 percent of CO2 emissions. "We need a holistic approach in European industrial policy," said Jorna.

Hannes Androsch, President of the AIT Supervisory Board, regretted that Europe was lagging far behind the US and China in the digital age, particularly where key issues such as digital platforms, 5G, microchips and Artificial Intelligence are concerned. At the same time, a gig economy with temporary and flexible jobs leads to a new precariat. It is particularly important for small counREVIEW #Efatec 2020

tries like Austria, which cannot compete on their own, that there is not only a common market in Europe, but also a common strategy. The fact that resources for research, health and the environment have now been cut in the new EU budget is a disgrace, according to Androsch: "Europe still has much more to do to catch up."

Sabine Herlitschka, CEO of Infineon Technologies Austria AG, pointed out an increasingly dangerous dependence of Europe in important technology areas.

For example, only three of the 20 largest microelectronics companies in the world are now managed from Europe.

"There is now a new geopolitical situation that is about competition for technology. Knowledge and especially research and technology are the new currencies," Herlitschka stressed. Only if we act united as a European region will we remain competitive.

Eva Stejskalová, Managing Director of the Slovakian company MicroStep and member of the Horizon 2020 Highlevel Strategy Group on Industrial Technologies, spoke about the great differences in industry in the EU – for example in terms of labour productivity, which in Slovakia is only half the EU average. The new European industrial policy should develop the different potentials, which requires a symbiosis of national and

European industrial policy. "In the automotive sector, dedicated platforms for small and medium-sized companies could significantly increase efficiency," Eva Stejskalová is convinced.

Other topics of discussion centered particularly on the digital transformation, energy transition, future technologies such as hydrogen and electromobility, the training of skilled workers, Artificial Intelligence, the vision of a European data cloud, and the high value of data. The corona crisis has shown how important the systemically relevant sectors are and what innovation potential is still available in Europe.

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04 / PLENARY SESSION TICKET TO BERLIN: SUMMER SCHOOL ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP Nicholas Furtak-Wells, Theresa Hautz-Neunteufel, Benjamin James, Marcel Quennet, Jonas Schenk // Chair: Philipp Marxgut (RTD-Council) // Co-Chair: Klara Brandstätter (I.E.C.T.)

Anders als in den Jahren zuvor fand die Vergabe eines zweiten Tickets zum Falling Walls Lab in Berlin heuer Corona-bedingt erst im September in Innsbruck statt. Bei den Alpbacher Technologiegesprächen im August ging es diesmal um die Teilnahme bei Falling Wall Venture. Im Zentrum dieses – erstmals virtuell durchgeführten – Pitching-Events standen bahnbrechende Ideen künftiger Unternehmen. Vorausgewählt wurden sie im Rahmen der Summer School des „Institute for Entrepreneurship Cambridge–Tirol“, gegründet vom Tiroler Investor Hermann Hauser, an der 24 Projekte aus zehn Ländern teilnahmen. Jürgen Mlynek, Chair of Falling Walls Foundation, gratulierte vor den Präsentationen in einer Videobotschaft den Kanditat*innen, die es schon so weit gebracht hätten und deshalb alle

schon Gewinner*innen seien. Heuer konnten die drei Besten aus dem virtuellen Votum des Publikums ein “Ticket to Berlin” zu Falling Walls Venture im Rahmen der heurigen Falling Walls ­Konferenz, die am 9. November startet, gewinnen. An diesem Tag im Jahr 1989 fiel die Berliner Mauer. Seit der ersten Falling Walls ­Konferenz im Jahr 2009 geht es darum, weitere Mauern in der Gesellschaft und Wissenschaft zu Fall zu bringen sowie neue Durchbrüche zu schaffen. Die Konferenz bietet dazu jedes Jahr ein breites Programm mit Schwerpunkten wie heuer etwa Digitales Lernen, Physikalische Wissenschaft oder Kunst und Wissenschaft. Ein Fixpunkt ist das groß angelegte, internationale Programm für wissenschaftsorientierte Start-ups. Heuer ist alles digital. Der Preis für die drei Auserwählten ist die

Teilnahme am Walling Falls Webinar für Entrepreneurship. Die Siegerin, Theresa Hautz-Neunteufel, bekommt zusätzlich einen zweitägigen Online Workshop für Entrepreneurship in Science.

Hautz-Neunteufel ist Wissenschaftlerin an der Universitätsklinik Innsbruck und forscht an einer revolutionären Technik, um Organe außerhalb des Körpers zu behandeln und so für Transplantationen zu regenerieren, damit sie im neuen Körper „optimal arbeiten“. Den zweiten Platz errang Benjamin James (MLXAR) mit seiner AI-unterstützten Machine Learning Extended Architecture, mit der sich virtuelle Modelle wie etwa Städtelandschaften für Spiele viel schneller entwickeln lassen. Auf Platz 3 landete Nicholas Furtak-Wells (NIQS), der das Diabetesmanagement mit einem neuen tragbaren Sensor revolutionieren will.

TU AUSTRIA INNOVATION MARATHON Young, motivated students from all over the world impressively demonstrated that they can work t­ ogether to solve complex problems in just 24 hours, even if they live thousands of kilometres apart and do not know each other personally. This year, 50 students were selected from almost 100 applications. The students were divided into ten teams of five, the challenges came from the Austrian comAnswers to questions such as how a car can be used as a measuring device to help people stay healthy (AVL's task) or which requirements health sensors of the future will have to meet (ams) had to be found. Moreover, the students had ­to explore possibilities for adaptive cooling, which allows refrigerators to adapt their functionality to individual behaviour in the household (Liebherr). The agenda also included coming up with ideas for ­a mobile app that changes people's eating habits with the help of playful elements (Philips), and developing a new process for supply chain management to ensure that products reach customers only in perfect condition (voestalpine Wire Technology).

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Photos: TU Graz/Lunghammer

panies Liebherr, ams, AVL, Philips and voestalpine Wire Technology.

Klara Brandstätter (Summer School, Institute for Entrepreneurship Cambridge–Tirol Hermann Hauser), Philipp Marxgut (Complexity Science Hub Vienna)

Photos:ORF/Hans Leitner

On livestream: Jürgen Mlynek, former president of Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Falling Walls Foundation

In contrast to previous years, the second ticket to Falling Walls Lab in Berlin was – due to Corona – issued in September in Innsbruck. This time, the Alpbach Technology Symposium in August was dedicated to the Falling Wall Venture. This pitching event – the first to be held virtually – focused on groundbreaking ideas of future companies.

Five highly talented young scientists presented their projects in five minutes.

They had been pre-selected as part of the Summer School of the "Institute for Entrepreneurship Cambridge – Tirol", founded by the Tyrolean investor Hermann Hauser, where 24 projects from REVIEW #Efatec 2020

ten countries took part. Jürgen Mlynek, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Falling Walls Foundation, congratulated the candidates, who had already made it this far and were therefore all winners, in a video message before the presentations. This year, the best three from the virtual vote of the audience had the chance to win a "Ticket to Berlin" to the Falling Walls Conference starting on 9 November. It was on that day in 1989 that the Berlin Wall fell. Since the first Falling Walls conference in 2009, the objective has been to bring down further walls in society and science as well as to create new breakthroughs. To this

end, the conference offers a broad programme each year, with a focus this year on topics such as digital learning, physical science, or art and science.

One permanent fixture is the large-­ scale, international programme for science-oriented start-ups.

This year, everything is digital. The prize for the three selected individuals is their participation in the Falling Walls Webinar for Entrepreneurship. The winner, Theresa Hautz-Neunteufel, will also receive a two-day online workshop for Entrepreneurship in Science.

Hautz-Neunteufel is a scientist at the University Clinic Innsbruck and is researching a revolutionary technique to treat organs outside the body and thus regenerate them for transplantation so that they "work optimally" in the new body. Second place went to Benjamin James (MLXAR) with his AI-supported Machine Learning Extended Architecture, which allows virtual models such as cityscapes for games to be developed much faster. Third place went to Nicholas Furtak-Wells (NIQS), who aims to revolutionize diabetes management with a new portable sensor.

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05 / PLENARY SESSION CLIMATE AND THE ENVIRONMENT – EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES Pascale Ehrenfreund (IAF), Leonore Gewessler (BMK), Christian Haas (Alfred Wegener Institut), Martin Visbeck (GEOMAR) // Chair: Otmar D. Wiestler (Helmholtz) In cooperation with the scientific partner Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers

Die Corona-Krise hat das Thema Klimawandel etwas überschattet. Krisen bieten aber auch Chancen – etwa für neue ­Gesellschafts- und Wirtschaftsformen.

Otmar Wiestler, Präsident der Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren, betonte in seiner Einleitung, dass nur eine langfristige, interdisziplinäre Forschung, die auf einem systematischen Monitoring und Modellierung des Systems Erde beruht, es erlauben wird, die fundamentalen Prinzipien des Klimas und des Klimawandels zu verstehen. „Dieses Verständnis ist die wichtigste Voraussetzung, um eine Strategie zur Emissionskontrolle zu entwickeln und eine smarte Anpassung an die Klimaextreme zu ermöglichen“, so Wiestler.

Der Polarforscher Christian Haas, Leiter der Sea Ice Physics Division am Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz ­Z­entrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung in Bremerhaven, präsentierte in einem Video „Mosaic“, die bislang größte Arktis-Expedition, die unter der Beteiligung von 17 Nationen und 600 Expert*innen im September 2019 gestartet wurde, um wichtige Daten für Generationen zu sammeln. Das Meereseis ist am stärksten vom Klimawandel betroffen und in den letzten 40 Jahren um 50 Prozent geschrumpft. „In den nächsten 30 bis 50 Jahren wird es hier kein Meereseis mehr geben“, so Haas.

Das arktische Eis, das noch große Mengen vom Sonnenlicht reflektiert, sei ein wichtiger 14

Faktor für die Erwärmung des Weltklimas.

Und vieles ist noch unklar. Warum schmilzt etwa gerade das Eis in der Arktis so schnell?

Pascale Ehrenfreund, Professorin für Space Policy am Space Policy Institute der George Washington Universität sowie Präsidentin der International Astronautical Federation in Paris, präsentierte den Blick von oben mit einem Video über das internationale EU-Projekt Copernicus, dem größten Satellitenerdüberwachungsprogramm der Welt. Die moderne Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft würden ohne Erdbeobachtungs-, Telekommunikations- und Navigationssatelliten längst nicht mehr funktionieren. Satelliten überwachen aber auch Klimagase, Waldbrände oder das schmelzende Eis. Es sei wichtig, dass wir die letzten 40 Jahre des Klima­geschehens rekonstruieren, um Prog­nosen für die Zukunft als Grundlage für die Politik machen zu können. Da gehe es auch um Themen wie Ernährungs­sicherheit, Katastrophenmanagement und vieles mehr. All die Daten aus dem Copernicus-Programm sind Open A ­ ccess. „Das ist ein sehr kritischer Punkt“, betonte Ehrenfreund.

Martin Visbeck, Leiter Physikalische Ozeanografie vom GEOMAR-HelmholtzZentrum in Kiel, startete mit einem Video über die Atlantik-Beobachtungsinitiative AtlantOS, die internationale Akteure aus den Bereichen Physik, Chemie, Biologie

oder Geologie vereint. Dabei gehe es nicht nur um Forschung, sondern auch um die sozialen Bedürfnisse etwa von Fischern und die Frage, wie nachhaltiger mit dem Meer umgegangen werden könne. „Die Ozeane sind sehr kritisch für das Klima und nehmen viel Hitze auf“, betonte Visbeck. 93 Prozent der Erwärmung des Planeten passiere im Ozean, der auch 30 Prozent des CO2 aufnehme.

Eine Frage ist nun, wie man mit der Digitalisierung all die Informationen für nutzbringende Maßnahmen zusammenbringe.

Umweltministerin Leonore Gewessler war von den Präsentationen sichtlich beeindruckt. „Die Klimakrise ist die größte Herausforderung, für die es, anders als für Covid-19, keine Impfung geben wird“, betonte Gewessler. Rasches Handeln sei erforderlich. Dabei könne der Green Deal der EU ein Gamechanger sein, wie auch die nächste globale Klimakonferenz COP26 im November 2021. Österreich habe sich das ambitionierte Ziel gesteckt, bis 2040 klimaneutral zu werden. „Wir versuchen im Ministerium alles dafür zu tun und dabei zugleich die Wirtschaft anzukurbeln“, so die Ministerin.

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Photo:ORF/Hans Leitner

Christian Haas (Alfred Wegener Institute, ­Bremerhaven), Leonore Gewessler (Minister for Climate Action), Otmar D. Wiestler ­(President of Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers), Pascale Ehrenfreund (President of the International Astronautical Federation, George Washington University) Martin Visbeck (GEOMAR Helmholtz-Centre for Ocean Research, Kiel) (from left)

The Corona crisis has somewhat overshadowed the issue of climate change.

But crises also offer opportunities – for new forms of society and business, for example. Otmar Wiestler, President of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers, emphasized in his introduction that only long-term, interdisciplinary research based on systematic monitoring and modeling of the system Earth will make it possible to understand the fundamental principles of climate and climate change. "This understanding is the most important prerequisite for developing an emission control strategy and enabling a smart adaptation to climate extremes," says Wiestler.

In a video entitled "Mosaic", polar researcher Christian Haas, head of the Sea Ice Physics Division at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven, presented the largest Arctic expedition to date, which was launched in September 2019 with the participation of 17 nations and 600 experts in order to collect important data for generations.

Sea ice is most affected by climate REVIEW #Efatec 2020

change and has shrunk by 50 percent over the last 40 years. "There will be no more sea ice here in the next 30 to 50 years," says Haas. The Arctic ice, which still reflects large amounts of sunlight, is an important factor in global warming.

And much is still unclear. Why is it that the ice in the Arctic in particular is melting so quickly?

Pascale Ehrenfreund, Professor of Space Policy at the Space Policy Institute of George Washington University as well as President of the International Astronautical Federation in Paris, presented the view from above with a video about the international EU project Copernicus, the largest satellite earth observation programme in the world.

Modern society and economy would no longer function without earth observation, telecommunications and navigation satellites. But satellites also monitor climate gases, forest fires or the melting ice. She said it was important that we reconstruct the last 40 years of climate events in order to be able to make forecasts for the future as a basis for political decisions. Topics such as a secure supply of food, disaster manage-

ment and much more are also affected by this. All data from the Copernicus programme is open access. "This is a very critical point," Ehrenfreund stressed.

Martin Visbeck, Head of Physical Oceanography at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center in Kiel, started with a video about the Atlantic Observation Initiative AtlantOS, which brings together international players from the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, and geology. This is not only about research, but also about the social needs of fishermen and the question of how to deal with the sea in a more sustainable manner. "The oceans are very critical for the climate and absorb a lot of heat," Visbeck stressed.

93 percent of the warming of the planet happens in the ocean, which also absorbs 30 percent of the CO2. One question now is how digitalisation can be used to bring all this information together for beneficial measures.

Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler was visibly impressed by the presentations. "The climate crisis is the biggest challenge for which, unlike for Covid-19, there will be no vaccination," Gewessler stressed. Rapid action is required. The EU Green Deal could be a game changer, as could the next global climate conference COP26 in November 2021. Austria has set itself the ambitious objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2040. "We are trying to do everything we can in the Ministry to achieve this and stimulate business at the same time," said the Minister.

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06 / PLENARY SESSION LIVING WITH AI – OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR SOCIETY Gerald Bast (Angewandte), Anab Jain (Superflux), Gabriele Kotsis (JKU Linz) // Chair: Andreas Jäger ARTTEC in cooperation with University of Applied Arts, Vienna

Gerald Bast, Rektor Universität für Angewandte Kunst in Wien, hielt gleich zu Beginn dieser Session, die eine alternative, künstlerische Herangehensweise an die Wissenschaft wagte, fest: Schon das European Research Area Board habe vor ein paar Jahren einen neuen, holistischen Weg gefordert, da technologische Fragen allein nicht die Lösung für bestehende Probleme bieten würden. Dieser Ansatz sei nun gefordert. Aktuell löse die Künstliche Intelligenz eine bislang unüber­ troffene technologische Revolution aus.

Obwohl Werner Heisenberg schon 1927 seine Unschärferelation postuliert hat, würden die Politik und das Bildungssystem fast hundert Jahre danach noch immer dem linearen Prinzip folgen, das nur ein Ja oder Nein kennt. „Nur Künstlern und Quantenphysikern ist es erlaubt, dieses Paradigma zu durchbrechen“, so Bast. Warum sind Werkzeuge wie das Arbeiten mit Ungewissheit, das Denken in Alternativen, das Verändern von Perspektiven, die Suche nach unüblichen Verbindungen oder das Nützen von Vorstellungskraft nur Künstler*innen vor­behalten? „Wir können das Rennen gegen die Maschine nicht gewinnen“, betonte Gerald Bast, aber sie als Werkzeug nutzen. Menschen können die Regeln ändern und Realitäten dekonstruieren und außerhalb der coding box denken.

Das Leben mit der AI bedeutet mit einer neuen Denkart zu leben. Seine Utopie: eine Welt, in der freie Menschen von Robotern und selbstlernenden Maschinen 16

anstatt von Sklaven bedient würden.

Gabriele Kotsis, Professorin für Computerwissenschaften an der Johannes Kepler University in Linz, ging auf die drei Dimensionen Intelligenz, Smartness und Emotion ein, die wir uns generell von Zukunftstechnologien erwarten können.

Smartness ziele hierbei auf den raschen Einsatz von Intelligenz in schwierigen Situationen wie etwa bei smarten Autos.

Und Maschinen können „Emotionen“ haben. Das zeigte schon das von Joseph Weizenbaum 1966 entwickelte, sehr einfache Konversationsprogramm ELIZA. Schon damals hatten Menschen bald vergessen, dass sie mit einer Maschine sprachen und kommunizierten sehr offen. Mittlerweile gibt es mit Emotics schon eine eigene Sprache für Emotionen und Roboter können die menschliche Mimik nachahmen. „Menschen und Maschinen sind in unterschiedlichen Disziplinen gut. Meine Vorstellung ist, und das ist auch unser aktuelles Forschungsthema, ein Human Machine Teaming“, so Kotsis.

Anab Jain, Design-Professorin an der Universität für Angewandte Kunst in Wien und Mitbegründerin von Superflux in London, zeigte wiederum anhand des Systems Wald – einer sozialen Gemeinschaft von Bäumen, die mit unterirdischen Netzwerken verbunden mittels Wurzeln, Pilzen und Bakterien über weite Entfernungen mittels Botenstoffen kommunizieren und ein nachhaltiges System bilden –, dass man für neue

Dinge andere Zugänge benötige. AI-Systeme wurden zwar mit Unmengen an Daten gefüttert, haben aber kein Alltagsverständnis – etwa darüber, was mit einem Glas passiert, das vom Tisch fällt.

Und die Systeme würden zudem Vorurteile aufgrund der zugeführten Daten erzeugen, wie viele Beispiele zeigen. „Wie können Menschen und AI zusammenarbeiten, um wie ein fühlender, empfindsamer Wald neue Kooperationsformen zu entwickeln“, erklärte Jain.

Künstliche Agenten könnten etwa neue Möglichkeiten für ökologische Solidarität eröffnen. Ein Wald sei eigentlich ein Wood Wide Web, eine „super alien intelligence“.

In Zukunft müsse man sich weniger vor intelligenten Maschinen fürchten, sondern davor, dass unsere Vorstellungen und Ideen etwa durch Empfehlungs­ systeme beeinflusst und eingeschränkt werden. „Die Gefahr besteht, dass wir von unseren Tools remastered werden“, so Jain. Deshalb, so das Podium, sei es besonders wichtig, dass das Bildungssystem anstatt dem heutigen Replizieren kritisches Hinterfragen fördere. Dann bestehe die Hoffnung, dass AI uns dabei helfe, große Probleme, wie etwa die Bewältigung des Klimawandels, zu lösen.

REVIEW #Efatec 2020

Photo:ORF/Hans Leitner

Gerald Bast, Rector of the University of Applied Arts in Vienna, emphasized at the beginning of this special session, which also dared embark on an artistic, alternative approach to the art of science: A few years ago already, the European Research Area Board had called for a new, holistic approach, since technological issues alone would not provide the solution to existing problems. This approach is now a must. Artificial Intelligence is currently triggering a technological revolution never seen before. Although Werner Heisenberg already postulated his uncertainty principle back in 1927, politics and the educational system, almost a hundred years later, still follow the linear principle that only knows a yes or no. "Only artists and quantum physicists are allowed to break through this paradigm," says Bast. Why are tools such as working with uncertainty, thinking in alternatives, changing perspectives, searching for unusual connections or the use of the imagination only reserved for artists?

"We cannot win the race against the machine," emphasized Gerald Bast, "but we can use machines as tools." People can change the rules, deconstruct realities and think outside the coding box. Living with AI means living with a new way of thinking. His utopia: a world in which free people are served by robots and self-learning machines instead of by slaves.

Gabriele Kotsis, Professor of Computer Science at Johannes Kepler University in Linz, talked about the three dimensions of intelligence, smartness and emotion that we can generally expect from future technologies. The aim of smartness here is the rapid deployment of intelligence in difficult situations, such as in smart cars. And machines can have "emotions". This was already shown by the very simple conversation programme ELIZA developed by Joseph Weizenbaum in 1966. Already then, people had soon forgotten that they were talking to a machine and were communiREVIEW #Efatec 2020

cating very openly. In the meantime, Emotics already offers a special language for emotions, and robots can imitate human facial expressions. "People and machines are good in different disciplines. My idea is a human-machine teaming, and this is also our current research topic," says Kotsis.

Anab Jain, Professor of Industrial Design at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and co-founder of Superflux in London, used the forest as a system – a social community of trees connected to underground networks via roots, fungi and bacteria that communicate over long distances by means of messenger substances and form a sustainable system – to show that different approaches are needed for new things. Although AI systems have been fed with vast amounts of data, they do not have an everyday understanding – for example, of what happens to a glass that falls off

a table. And the systems would also generate prejudices based on the data supplied, as many examples show. "How can people and AI work together like a sensitive, sentient forest in order to develop new forms of cooperation," explained Jain. Artificial agents could open up new possibilities for ecological solidarity. A forest is actually a Wood Wide Web, a "super alien intelligence".

In the future, we should be less afraid of intelligent machines than of our conceptions and ideas being influenced and restricted by recommendation systems, for example. "There is a danger that we will be remastered by our tools," says Jain. According to the panel, it is therefore particularly important that the education system promotes critical reflection rather than today's replicating.

Then there is hope that AI will help us solve major problems, such as dealing with climate change.

Anab Jain (Founder Superflux, University of Applied Arts Vienna, via livestream), Gerald Bast (Rector, University of Applied Arts Vienna), Andreas Jäger (Moderator), Gabriele Kotsis (Johannes Kepler University Linz) (from left) 17

07 / PLENARY SESSION COMPLEXITY SCIENCE – CORONA AND THE CONSEQUENCES Vittoria Colizza (Sorbonne), Ricardo Hausmann (Harvard), Dirk Helbing (ETH Zürich), Stefan Thurner (CSH) // Chair: Helga Nowotny (RTD-Council) Supported by Complexity Science Hub Vienna

Schon früh in der Corona-Krise versuchten wissenschaftliche Disziplinen wie die Complexity Science, Modelle und Vorhersagen zur Eindämmung des Virus zu erstellen, so Helga Nowotny vom österreichischen Rat für Forschung und Technologieentwicklung in ihrer thematischen Einführung. Die Pandemie hat laut Dirk Helbing, Professor of Computational Social Science an der ETH Zürich, klar die Grenzen von Big Data und AI aufgezeigt. Die AI-Vision, dass künftig Daten für sich selbst sprechen, bewahrheitete sich nicht. Vorhersagen über die Pandemie zu treffen, war eine große Herausforderung. Helbing kritisierte generell AI-Methoden, mit denen etwa Flughafenpassagiere überwacht und Terroristen gesucht werden.

Die Fehlerraten lagen bei 99 Prozent bzw. gab es 100.000 falsche Positivmeldungen für jeden realen Terroristen.

Das Problem sei, dass Algorithmen statistische Beziehungen in kausale Zusammenhänge verwandeln können. „Wir sollten AI und Computer Science anders nutzen“, forderte Helbing. Mit Smartphones und ihren Sensoren können etwa kollaborative Sicherheitsnetzwerke gebildet werden, mit denen schon Erdbeben detektiert wurden. Helbings Vision: Der Aufbau einer digitalen Demokratie. Hier spiele der freie Zugriff auf Daten mit Open Source und Open Data eine wichtige Rolle. Laut Helga Nowotny ist ein kollektiver Lernprozess erforderlich, eine neue Kultur, wie man 18

mit Big Data umgehe: „Wir müssen wissen, wo Daten erzeugt und in welchem Kontext sie gesammelt werden, sonst kann es falsch laufen.“ Mit diesem Lernen müsste schon früh in der Schule begonnen werden. Vittoria Colizza, Research Director bei INSERM und der University of Sorbonne, Faculty of Medicine, in Paris, sprach zum Thema „Chasing Covid-19 Pandemie through modeling” und teilte ihre Erfahrungen der letzten Monate. Anfangs gab es keine Daten und Erfahrungen. Mit mathematischen Modellen wurde versucht, Klarheit zu schaffen. „Wir hätten auch mehr aus den Erfahrungen anderer Länder lernen sollen“, so Colizza, da habe es eine gewisse nationale Arroganz gegeben. Ricardo Hausmann, Ökonom an der John F. Kennedy School of Government der Harvard University, verwendet Complexity Science, um Wachstum in Entwicklungsländern und ökonomische Krisen zu erforschen. „Ich sehe Gesellschaften wie ein soziales Gehirn, in dem unterschiedliche Teile spezialisiertes Wissen erlangen, das vernetzt werden muss, um es zu nutzen“, so Hausmann.

Er untersucht, wie diese Netzwerke wachsen. Seine Erforschung von Wirtschaftszusammenbrüchen hat ergeben, dass die Erholungsgeschwindigkeit vor allem von der Resilienz der Orte abhänge - und diese wiederum vom Zustand der gesellschaftlichen Netzwerke. Um Resilienz in einer Gesellschaft zu schaffen, bedarf es aber perfekt auf die je-

weilige Situation angepasste Maßnahmen. Ein Gutes hat die Corona-Krise laut Stefan Thurner, Leiter der Abteilung Science of Complex Systems an der Medizinischen Universität Wien und Präsident des Complexity Science Hub Vienna: Es gab erstmals den Schritt in Richtung einer evidenzbasierten Politik.

Im CSH wurden am Anfang der Krise alle laufenden Projekte unterbrochen, um 18 Teams zur Lösung von 18 Problemen zu bilden – etwa um die Rolle der Kontaktnetzwerke oder ökonomische Effekte besser zu verstehen. Zugleich wurde ab April mit Grafiken zu den Infektionsraten und einer Corona-Ampel die Öffentlichkeit informiert. Was nicht funktioniert habe, war der Zugang zu den entsprechenden Daten. Da mangelte es oft an der Datenqualität, eingespielten Datenprozeduren und dem Teilen der Daten. „50 Prozent der Projekte scheiterten, da wir die Daten nicht in der passenden Art nutzen konnten“, sagte Thurner. Ohne korrekte Daten könne Digitalisierung nicht funktionieren, warnte der Komplexitätsforscher: „Wir müssen lernen, mit Daten richtig umzugehen.“

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Photo: AIT/Johannes Zinner

Helga Nowotny (Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development, Former President ERC European Research Council), and Stefan Thurner (Head of Complexity Science Hub Vienna, MedUni Vienna) (in the foreground); Vittoria Colizza (INSERM and University of Sorbonne), Ricardo Hausmann (Harvard University) and Dirk Helbing (ETH Zürich) (bottom left on the screen)

Already early on in the corona crisis, scientific disciplines such as Complexity Science attempted to create models and predictions for the containment of the virus, stated Helga Nowotny of the Austrian Council for Research and Technology Development in her thematic introduction. According to Dirk Helbing, Professor of Computational Social Science at the ETH Zurich, the pandemic has clearly shown the limits of Big Data and AI. The AI vision that data would speak for themselves in the future has not come true. Making predictions about the pandemic has been a major challenge. Helbing generally criticized AI methods, such as those used to monitor airport passengers and to search for terrorists. The error rates were 99 percent, in other words there were 100,000 false positives for every real terrorist. The problem is that algorithms can transform relations into causal relationships. "We should use AI and computer science differently," demanded Helbing. For example, smartphones and their sensors can be used to create collaborative safety networks with which earthquakes have already been detected. Helbings´ vision: The creation of a digital democracy. Free access to data with open source and open data plays an important role here. According to Helga Nowotny, a collective learning process is needed, a new culture of how to deal with Big Data: "We have to know where data is generated and in what REVIEW #Efatec 2020

context it is collected, otherwise things can go wrong." This learning would have to already begin early in school. Vittoria Colizza, Research Director at INSERM and the University of Sorbonne, Faculty of Medicine, in Paris, spoke on the topic of "Chasing Covid-19 pandemic trough modeling" and shared her experiences of recent months. Initially, there was neither data nor experience. Mathematical models were used to try to create clarity. "We should also have learned more from the experiences of other countries," said Colizza, adding that there was a certain national arrogance.

Ricardo Hausmann, an economist at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, uses complexity science to study growth in developing countries, and economic crises. "I see societies as a social brain in which different parts acquire specialized knowledge that needs to be cross-linked in order to use it," says Hausmann.

He studies how these networks grow.

His research into economic collapses has shown that the speed of recovery depends above all on the resilience of places – which in turn depends on the condition of the social networks. To create resilience in a society, however,

requires measures that are perfectly adapted to the respective situation.

According to Stefan Thurner, Head of the Section for Science of Complex Systems at the Medical University of Vienna and President of the Complexity Science Hub Vienna, the corona crisis has one positive aspect: For the first time, there was a move toward evidence-based policies. At the CSH, all ongoing projects were interrupted at the beginning of the crisis to form 18 teams to solve 18 problems – e.g., to better understand the role of contact networks or economic effects. At the same time, starting in April, the public was informed by means of graphics on infection rates and a so-called Corona traffic light.

What did not work was the access to the corresponding data. There was often a lack of data quality, well-established data procedures and data sharing. "50 percent of the projects failed because we could not use the data in the appropriate way," said Thurner. Without correct data, digitalisation will not work, the complexity researcher warned: "We must learn to use data correctly."

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08 / PLENARY SESSION GENDER POLICIES IN DAILY PRACTICE Traude Kogoj (ÖBB), Helmut Leopold (AIT), Marie Theres Raberger (AIT), Eva Wilhelm (AIT) // Chair: Carina Felzmann (Sheconomy)

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Traude Kogoj (ÖBB, Diversity Officer), Helmut Leopold (Gender Responsible Person at AIT), Carina Felzmann (Moderator, editor in chief, Sheconomy), Marie Theres Raberger (Head of Recruiting at AIT), Eva Wilhelm (former works council member at AIT) (from left)

30 years, "a lot has already happened."

Of course, it could be more, but Corona would now have made some role models even more firmly established. Women, however, are now more aware of their role and are more involved in networks.

Traude Kogoj, ÖBB's Diversity Officer, gave an external view. As a trainer, she also organizes the regular Gender Days at AIT. The AIT is already well positioned in terms of diversity and employs great female researchers, said Kogoj. ­ Now the main thing is to make applied research and product development

gender-appropriate.

Who is a product designed for - women or men, young or old, a local or global audience? This is where knowledge is produced that wants to make society better.

Other topics discussed included gender-appropriate language, parenthood, career and communication. "We want to bring our female researchers on stage, that is also communication," said Raberger. By presenting role models, other young women could also be encouraged to venture into the technical working world.

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Photo: AIT/Roland Unger

The AIT-organized panel discussion, moderated by Carina Felzman, editor of Sheconomy, focused on the status quo of women in technology and how to attract more women to this field. Helmut Leopold, Head of Center for Digital Safety & Security and Gender Responsible Person at AIT, emphasized right at the start that many successful women with excellent international CVs and projects are already working at the AIT: "The problem is that they are often not even aware of this - themselves, the organization or the environment. For this reason, a task force was formed with the involvement of the entire management team to design and implement a gender program. The goal: to better communicate the achievements of women to the outside world and to raise awareness internally among women, but also among men. It is also important to involve the management in order to create better framework conditions for women. "Social barriers still exist," said Leopold, "we are only at the beginning of the journey."

Marie Theres Raberger, Head of Recruiting at AIT, confirms this. There are still certain prejudices and "myths" that are partly anchored in the minds of women.

One topic, for example, is part-time work, which is seen as a career obstacle. "But that is not the case here," Raberger emphasizes.

"When we started, we were four female researchers at AIT," recalls Eva Wilhelm, who was a works council member for

SUMMARIES OF THE BREAKOUT SESSIONS

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Matthias Beck, Henrietta Egerth, Sylvia Knapp, Michael Kocher, Karl Stöger, Erich Tauber // Chair Florian Frauscher // Organisation: Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW)

Martin Brandl, Franz Dinhobl, Andreas Farnleitner, Martin Kainz, Regina Sommer // Chair: Claus Zeppelzauer // Introduction: Jochen Danninger // Organisation: ecoplus.

The Business Agency of Lower Austria

Led by Florian Frauscher from the Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs, experts discussed the potential of the crisis as a driver of innovation, among other things. Michael Kocher, CEO of Novartis Austria and Global President B2B Sandoz, called for appropriate framework conditions for sustainable exploitation of the full R&D potential in Austria. Security of supply, reliability and trust should not be neglected in favor of economic goals. When asked about the background to the sale of Themis Bioscience GmbH to Merck & Co., Erich Tauber explained that the transfer of academic research to an industrial partner had already been part of the business plan when the company was founded and that he was proud of the acquisition of his company by MSD. FFG Managing Director Henrietta Egerth stressed that progress in highly developed economies could increasingly be achieved through qualitative factors such as R&D, competition and work organization. Research could be a solution approach and an economic engine. Regarding legal limits for research, Prof. Karl Stöger, University of Graz, explained that Art 17 StGG is very liberal and against this background § 9 Reproductive Medicine Act is questionable because the latter contains a ban directed against research. With "Ethics Dumping", researchers would be forced to move to other countries for sensitive research projects.

Prof. Matthias Beck, moral theologian at the University of Vienna, stated that research should serve people and not the economy.

Fair distribution of goods – e.g. corona vaccine – is crucial. Sylvia Knapp, Professor of Infection Biology at MedUni Vienna, pointed out the excessive immune response of about 10 percent of those affected by corona as well as the variability of disease patterns.

More funding for excellence and basic research as well as more cooperation is needed.

In this session, the panel in cooperation with ecoplus illuminated the fundamental topic of water, the origin of life, in a variety of ways. Jochen Danninger, Lower Austrian Technology Provincial Councillor: "Water as an ecosystem and habitat, as an energy supplier, economic factor as well as the health aspects".

With the water cluster Lunz, a large "natural laboratory", three universities are doing basic research on the ecosystem water, which is unique in Europe. Thus Martin Kainz investigates the connections between biodiversity and nutrient supply in waters.

In particular, this involves pollutants that disturb the natural balance and influence the brain development of fish due to a lack of lipids. Andreas Farnleitner, Head of the Department of Water Quality and Health at the Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences, talked about the current state of research in microbiology and the tracking of pathogens. Regina Sommer, Head of the Department of Water Hygiene at the Medical University of Vienna, spoke about UV disinfection of water, an area in which Austria is a global leader. Martin Brandl from the Center for Water and Environmental Sensors at the Danube University Krems presented the newly developed "Smart Sensors", which are important for a high-quality drinking water supply thanks to the monitoring of many parameters. The water supplier EVN uses these modern technologies. "Climate change and urbanization present us with new challenges here," said Managing Director Franz Dinhobl. Austria does have sufficient water, but it is not distributed equally. Here a compensation must take place by the public supply.

Photos: ORF/Hans Leitner

// LIFE SCIENCES – POTENTIALS AND LIMITATIONS

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// WATER, THE ORIGIN OF LIFE

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// RESPONSIBILITY. PRODUCTION. EUROPE

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// FEEDING THE CITY - OR IS THE CITY FEEDING YOU?

Markus Beyrer, Georg Kopetz, Lars Nagel, Sabine Seidler, Stephan Sielaff, Michael Wiesmüller // Chair: Isabella Meran-Waldstein // Presentation: Manuela Raidl // Organisation: Verein zur Förderung von Forschung und Innovation (VFFI)

Janine Bex, Adam Curtis, Christine Ehrenhuber, Tobias Judmaier, Daniel Podmirseg, Robin Simsa, Christoph Thomann // Chair: Theresia Vogel // Presentation: Friederike Leibl-Bürger // Organisation: Climate and Energy Fund

How can we acquire key competencies in order to strengthen sovereignty and crisis resilience? This was the central question of the session of the Association for the Promotion of Research and Innovation (VFFI). Markus Beyrer, Director General of ­BusinessEurope, stressed that a strong industrial policy also requires a strong research policy and that regions with strong industry are better able to weather crises. For Georg Kopetz, founder and CEO of the TTTech Group, an ambitious RTI policy is important to consolidate Europe as an attractive location.

Digitization and new technologies - including edge computing offer opportunities for reindustrialization in Europe. Lars Nagel, Managing Director of the International Data Space ­A ssociation, emphasized the importance of data, data sovereignty and trust in handling data. The European data cloud Gaia X could be a possible path for Europe. Sabine Seidler, Rector of the Vienna University of Technology, spoke about the high innovation function and economic importance of universities. Good public R&D funding and technology transfer are particularly important, she said. Stephan Sielaff, CTO of the Lenzing Group, made special reference to the important topic of "lifelong learning" and the great importance of a good infrastructure. Michael Wiesmüller, head of the department for key technologies for industrial innovation of the BMK, underlined the important role of a strong national and European RTI system. Good regulation can promote innovation. But there should also be room for experimentation.

Will cities be able to sustainably supply themselves in the ­future? Will our food soon come from vertical farms or even 3D printers? These were the questions of the Climate and Energy Fund session. Managing Director Theresia Vogel: "The pro­ duction, processing and transport of our food produces a lot of greenhouse gases. Urban life production is one solution." Adam Curtis, Research Director Nabolagshager, Oslo, emphasized the social component and the effects on the relationship between man and nature. Daniel Podmirseg, founder and chairman of the vertical farm institute, Vienna, already sees food production as part of everyday urban life. Christoph Thomann, Founder and CEO ZIRP, Vienna, presented the high-quality and healthy food insects. Robin Simsa, co-founder and CEO Legendary Vish, Vienna, produced fish from plant material using 3D printers - an important contribution against overfishing. Janine Bex, municipal councillor, Die Grünen, Innsbruck, emphasized the importance of close cooperation between politicians and civil society at the local level to allow pioneering projects in the food sector to flourish. And Christine Ehren­ huber, Project Coordinator United Against Waste, Vienna, ­addressed the problem of food waste. 1.3 billion tons are thrown away every year. Tobias Judmaier, CEO iss mich!, ­V ienna, confirmed this sad trend. Above all, it must be ­produced more intelligen­tly. Everyone agreed that urgent action has to be taken.

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Photos:ORF/Hans Leitner

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Photos: AIT/Johannes Zinner, ORF/Hans Leitner

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// RETURN ON INVESTMENT: EXCELLENCE & RELEVANCE IN SCIENCE

// FUTURE MOBILITY: ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SOLUTIONS

Eva Maria Binder, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Merle Jacob, James Wilsdon, Tan Eng Chye // Chairs: Klement Tockner, Barbara Weitgruber // Organisation: Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF)

Niels de Boer, Michael Holzner, Mark Topal-Gökceli // Chair: Jost Bernasch // Organisation: Virtual Vehicle Research GmbH

This breakout session organized by the Austrian Science Fund FWF and the Ministry for Education, Science and Research [BMBWF] concluded that excellent and relevant research cannot be viewed in isolation from the overall ecosystem of the science sector. FWF President Klement Tockner and Barbara Weitgruber, Director General of Scientific Research and International Relations at the BMBWF, led the discussion. Tan Eng Chye, President of the National University of Singapore, spoke about the five-year government research plan in Singapore, which covers the entire panorama from basic research to value creation in companies. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, interim President of the European Research Council (ERC), emphasized Singapore's exemplary character with three percent of the gross domestic product devoted to research. He said that the EU is far from achieving this goal, "even if countries like Austria, the Nordic states and now Germany have achieved it." As far as Eva Maria Binder, Director of the Executive Board of Erber Group is concerned, a key success factor for her company is a very early focus on R&D. She emphasized that scientists working in industry are also granted freedom in research and that there must be room for basic research. Merle Jacob, from Lund University in Sweden, pointed out that the scientific community must perform many tasks besides excellent research. "The question is what a strategy can look like that strikes a productive balance between relevance and excellence." James Wilsdon from the University of Sheffield focused on a critical questioning of excellence in the science sector itself: "It is not easy to grasp the concept of excellence. Too often, the concept of excellence is made measurable by relying on a too narrow set of metrics and key figures."

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The Virtual Vehicle session dealt with new technologies such as autonomous shuttles or the Hyperloop as well as their political, economic and social dimensions. Niels de Boer, Program Director Future Mobility Solutions at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, presented the city-state's comprehensive mobility concept which provides traffic on several levels with plenty of green and space for walking. Mark Topal-Gökceli, Head of Rail Systems & Technology at ÖBB, spoke about First Mile Integration and how to better link up a complex mobility system. Driverless trains will increase capacities and frequencies. European freight traffic still requires end-to-end digitalisation. Jost Bernasch, Managing Director of Virtual Vehicle Research GmbH, Graz, talked about value-driven future mobility with all its social, ecological and economic dimensions. The 38 percent share of SUVs shows that people’s personal goals must also be taken into account if ecological solutions are to be accepted. The new mobility solutions must be more attractive.

"Future mobility driven solely by technology has no future," emphasized Michael Holzner, Founder and Managing Director, iCONDU GmbH, Ingolstadt. The principles of efficiency would have to give way to the principle of the actual effectiveness of the entire mobility system, and individual aspects should no longer be optimized at the expense of others – in line with the UN Sustainability Goals (SDG). He said that a holistic view and a "target system", along with the common goal of sustainable mobility for everyone everywhere, is necessary for the sustainable mobility of the future. And that this requires intensive cooperation between science, industry and politics.

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Iris Filzwieser, Klaus Pseiner, Christiane Spiel, Eva-Maria Titz, Matthias Weber // Chair: Siegfried Reich // Organisation: Forschung Austria

Laurent Antoni, Philipp Braunsdorf, Martin Hackl, Markus Lehner,

How can innovation systems provide sustainable and positive inputs, in particular for the period after the Covid-19 crisis?

This was one of the questions posed by the top-level discussion panel, moderated by Siegfried Reich, Managing Director of Salzburg Research. "Within a very short time, specific tenders were set up and both research institutions and companies responded quickly with concepts and project proposals," noted FFG Managing Director Klaus Pseiner. The innovation and research system stabilized after the first severe weeks of the crisis. For Matthias Weber, AIT Center Head, it has become clear that innovative companies are better able to get through crises. However, there are currently different trends in R&D expenditures: For instance, many companies want to reduce their expenditures in this regard in 2021. This will also have an impact on research units and personnel. For ACR President Iris Filzwieser, founder of Mettop, the corona months were an enormous challenge that will still continue. "With an export share of 98 percent, a sudden worldwide lockdown confronted us at Mettop with enormous difficulties. We, like most SMEs, need normal business again and some help on the liquidity side." Christiane Spiel, Professor of Educational Psychology and Evaluation at the University of Vienna, spoke of the teaching and learning experiences during the corona crisis: "We need more education in so-called 21st century skills to better prepare the knowledge workers of tomorrow for collaborative work in unforeseen situations." For Eva-Maria Titz from the Ministry for Climate Action, it is important to deliberately design research so that it is open in order to avoid an excessive focus on corona. For instance, climate neutrality 2040 remains an important objective, as does the focus on CO2 reduction.

The session, coordinated by HyCentA Research in cooperation with TU Austria, explored the potential of green hydrogen in particular. A video presented the Austrian hydrogen strategy, H2 storage, the contribution to attaining the climate goals, and H2 filling stations. Alliances such as Hydrogen Europe for industry and Hydrogen Europe Research with 82 members are intended to strengthen Europe's leading position, says Alexander Trattner, CEO of HyCentA Research, Graz. Philipp Braunsdorf, Programme Manager Infrastructure Hydrogen, NOW GmbH, presented the German hydrogen strategy with its 38 concrete measures. Laurent Antoni, President of Hydrogen Europe Research, Brussels, spoke about the unification efforts of the national initiatives. Theresia Vogel, Managing Director of the Climate and Energy Fund, stressed that Austria has the potential to become a leading hydrogen nation. In her view, however, cross-border initiatives are more important. Horst Steinmüller, Managing Director of WIVA P&G Energy, presented the hydrogen model region. Markus Lehner from the Montanuniversität Leoben discussed the wide range of H2 application possibilities, particularly for the steel industry. Martin Hackl, Global Director of the Business Unit Solar Energy at Fronius International, Wels, explained H2's contribution to PV and the possibility of linking up all energy sectors with H2. In summary: In order to make Europe an innovation leader in the field of hydrogen, ambitious research along the entire value chain as well as intensive cooperation between research and industry are still required.

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HYDROGEN – A KEY TECHNOLOGY FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS

Horst Steinmüller, Theresia Vogel // Chair: Alexander Trattner // Organisation: Austrian Universities of Technology (TU Austria)

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Photos:ORF/Hans Leitner, Harald Hornacek

// RESEARCH IN TIMES OF CRISIS: BENEFITS OF APPLIED RESEARCH?

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CLIMATE NEUTRALITY 2040 – DISRUPTIVE INNOVATIONS FOR CO2 NEUTRALITY

Photos: ORF/Hans Leitner

Leonore Gewessler, Maja Göpel, Marleen Roubik, Katja Schechtner, Maria Vassilakou // Chair: Henriette Spyra // Organisation: Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) This session of the BMK and the Federal Environment Agency dared to take a look at Austria from the perspective of the year 2040. How did climate neutrality come about? According to Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler, committed people with stubborn optimism were primarily responsible for this. The Covid-19 crisis had shown how crises affect daily life.

This accelerated technological and social innovations such as the sharing culture or the recycling economy. Katja Schechtner, Agent Innovatrice at the International Transport Forum of the OECD as well as Research Fellow at MIT, believed that it was not so much "excessively disruptive technologies" that are supposed to solve all climate problems, but rather many small innovations forming a dynamically growing technology mosaic that are responsible for this. Maria Vassilakou, Member Mission Board Climate Neutral Cities 2030 of the European Commission, presented the plan on how 100 European cities or city districts could become climate-neutral as early as 2030 – e.g. through building renovation, autonomous shuttles, new delivery systems or the local promotion of citizens' projects. Experimental lawyer Marleen Roubik, in turn, described new ways in which laws could accommodate the rapid changes in areas such as transport, energy and the environment. To achieve this, the legal context will have to provide the necessary scope for innovations such as autonomous driving. Henriette Spyra, Director Science & Innovation at the Federal Environment Agency and transformation researcher Maja Göpel, explained the necessary economic and social changes to achieve climate neutrality 2040.

Artist Lana Lauren documented the larger picture with all its factors in a pictorial and very clear way.

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RESILIENCE AND DIGITAL FUTURE: SYNERGY OR DISCREPANCY?

Matthias Horx, Eric-Jan Kaak, Sabine Mayer, Katharina Ratheiser, Petra Stolba // Chair: Manfred Tscheligi // Organisation: ITG Innovations- und Technologietransfer Salzburg GmbH The session in cooperation with ITG Innovations- und Technologietransfer Salzburg focused on resilience, which can be increased through flexibility and self-reflection – in particular in companies or entire economic systems. Digitalisation plays a key role in this respect. Trend and future researcher Matthias Horx ventured into a new corona backward prognosis. One point in particular, the misuse of digital media, was intensively discussed. Sabine Mayer from the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) explained why companies with R&D departments are more resilient and perform better. Flexible companies benefit during times of crises because they can quickly adapt to new circumstances. Eric-Jan Kaak, Innovation Manager at SPAR ICS, spoke about organizational development in a world that is no longer so easily plannable. Digitalisation makes data visible in processes and thus creates decision-making aids. Petra Stolba, Managing Director of Österreich Werbung [Austrian National Tourist Office], advocated responsible tourism as a counter model to overtourism, which at the same time increases the resilience of tourism. Katharina Ratheiser, granddaughter of Viktor Frankl and Deputy Director of the Viktor Frankl Institute in Vienna, emphasized the importance of finding meaning even in times of crisis. Self-reflection and asking the right questions for the future are important in this respect. She added that this also applies to companies. Besides new insights, this also provides protection against external influences. That defines resilience.

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// EUROPE AS PRODUCTION LOCATION IN TIMES OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Bruno Hofbauer, Michael Kranawetter, Sabine Kremnitzer, Helmut Leopold, Sven Szabo // Chair: Friedrich Teichmann // Organisation: Austrian Federal Ministry of Defence (BMLV)

Daniela Jacob, Kerstin Jorna, Josef Falko Loher, Matthias Pastl, Wim van der Stricht, Tomas Wyns // Chair: Franz Prettenthaler // Organisation: Joanneum Research

In this session held in cooperation with the BMLV [Ministry of Defence], Friedrich Teichmann, Head of the Institute of Military GeoScience in the Austrian Armed Forces, addressed new technological trends and the generally high degree of dependence on modern technology such as the smartphone. He said that acquiring intelligence information, and superior technologies, are important – especially in the military sector. The IT and Cyber Security Center of the Austrian Armed Forces was briefly presented, and a welcome message from the Minister of Defence, Klaudia Tanner, was shown via video. Colonel Sven Szabo spoke about NATO's Strategic Forward Studies and about the military transformation to be prepared for the demands of the future and the technological race. He also addressed ethical concerns, e.g. regarding the use of AI and autonomous systems. Michael Kranawetter from Gartner spoke on trends in Security and Risk Management as well as on cyber attacks, lack of skills and highly complex systems including their security requirements, for instance in the cloud, which have been in increasing demand since Covid-19. AI and security were another topic. Sabine Kremnitzer, Programme Manager Aerospace at the FFG, presented the national perspective and described the security programmes KIRAS, FORTE and SAFTEY PIN. Helmut Leopold, Head of Center for Digital Safety & Security at AIT, focused on technological trends and underestimated opportunities that even small countries like Austria have when it comes to highly specialized areas such as AI, quantum computing, data management, sensors, 5G or blockchain. When all players work together, even a small country like Austria can become a technology leader, as already is the case in contactless payment and forensic tools.

In this session, held in cooperation with Joanneum Research, the opportunities and challenges of climate neutrality were discussed, with particular reference to the steel industry. According to Franz Prettenthaler, Director of the LIFE Institute for Climate, Energy and Society, Joanneum Research, the steel sector is responsible for ten percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. This industry therefore requires rapid initiatives in order to become climate-neutral. Daniela Jacob, Director, Climate Service Center Germany, spoke about the state of global warming and the urgent measures that could now be easily achieved with innovations and new green technology. For Kerstin Jorna, Director General for Industry (GROW) of the European Commission, the transformation is not only a necessity due to global warming, but also an opportunity for the economy. In the case of "steel products" such as cars, it is important to consider emissions over the entire life cycle. In this regard, their operation also plays a major role. Tomas Wyns from the IES Institute for European Studies, spoke about the industrial value chain that could be used as a bridge for a CO2-neutral Europe. Wim van der Stricht, CTO Technology Strategy, ArcelorMittal, presented the strategy for CO2 and circular economy for his company, which e.g. also comprises the use of hydrogen. Matthias Pastl of voestalpine Group, Linz, focused on the challenges facing the European steel industry and the question of financing green steel projects. Ultimately, however, global concepts are required as well, he added. According to the panel, a de-industrialized Europe is certainly not a solution for achieving global climate neutrality.

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Photos: ORF/Hans Leitner

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CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY TRENDS IN SECURITY SECTORS

Download “Discussing Technology” www.ait.ac.at/fileadmin/user_ upload/Jahrbuch_Discussing_ Technology_2020.pdf

EIN NEUER BLICK AUF DIE IMMER KOMPLEXERE WELT Jahrbuch 2020 zu den Alpbacher Technologiegesprächen Viele Menschen nehmen die Welt als zunehmend komplex und unübersichtlich wahr. Und das zu Recht. Nicht zuletzt die Coronapandemie zeigt die enge Verflechtung verschiedenster Bereiche, aus der auch eine hohe Anfälligkeit gegenüber Störungen erwächst. Hand in Hand damit nimmt die Dringlichkeit der großen ­Herausforderungen zu, vor denen die Menschheit steht – etwa die demografische Entwicklung, der Klimawandel und die Digitalisierung. Alle diese Problem­ felder sind systemischer Natur und

l­ assen sich mit herkömmlichen Mitteln nicht mehr bewältigen. Es wird für die Politik immer schwieriger, die Entwicklungen in eine erwünschte Richtung zu steuern.

Das Jahrbuch zu den Alpbacher Technologiegesprächen 2020 widmet sich neuen Sichtweisen und Zugängen, um komplexe Systeme besser verstehen und managen zu können. Neben einem Einblick in die Methoden und Themen der neuen Wissenschaft der Komplexitätsforschung wird in zahlreichen Fachgebieten nachgezeichnet, wie wir mit zunehmender Komplexität umgehen können. Neue Impulse dafür kommen auch aus der Welt der Künste.

A NEW VIEW TO THE INCREASINGLY COMPLEX WORLD Yearbook 2020 Alpbach Technology Symposium Many people perceive the world as increasingly complex and confusing. They are right. Not least the coronavirus pandemic shows the close interdependence of various areas which entails a high suscepti­ bility to disturbances. Hand in hand, the major challenges of the future – such as demographic development, climate ­change, and digitalization – are gaining urgency. These issues are systemic in nature and can no longer be dealt with

using conventional means. It is increasingly difficult for politicians to steer developments in a desirable direction.

The yearbook accompanying the 2020 Alpbach Technology Symposium explores new perspectives and approaches in order to better understand and manage complex systems. In addition to insights into the methods and topics of the new science of complexity re­search, numerous areas show how we can deal with increasing complexity. New impulses also come from the world of arts.

SAVE THE DATE ALPBACH TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM 2021 THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION 26. – 28. August 2021