Joint Slovak-Austrian innovation space is taking shape
On 18 March 2026, at the Interreg Slovakia-Austria online policy roundtable on the future of the Slovakia–Austria cross-border innovation region, innovation and strategy stakeholders from the regions of Bratislava, Trnava, Burgenland, Lower Austria, and Vienna, as well as representatives from the capital cities and ministries, came together for the first time in this configuration. The Slovakia–Austria cross-border area represents a highly complementary economic and innovation space. Austria contributes strong capabilities in research, technology, and high-value services, while Slovakia provides a dynamic industrial base, particularly in manufacturing and the automotive sector. Both economies are highly export-oriented and embedded in global value chains, creating a strong foundation for joint development. Despite these advantages, the region remains underutilised as a unified innovation ecosystem.
The shared vision for the cross-border region
The Vienna–Bratislava region brings highly complementary strengths across the entire innovation and value chain—from research to production. At the same time, it is apparent that there is still a lack of comprehensive networking and, above all, continuous collaboration to truly harness this potential.
Where should we start?
What remains is a shared understanding of where we can start:
– stabilise the exchange
– better highlight where the strengths lie on both sides
– and develop concrete, business-oriented collaborations.
Highlights
Stakeholders at the national, regional and city levels presented their perspectives and strategies:
- Mag. Susanne Zalcmann, Dr. Christina Knahr, MPA of the Federal Ministry for Economy, Energy and Tourism and Mgr. Martin Svoboda of the Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency outlined the national frameworks and the overall economic picture in Slovakia and Austria.
- Mag.a (FH) Gerhild Eigner of the Government of Lower Austria, Ing. Boris Škoda of Brainest, the innovation partnership of the Bratislava Region, DI Michael Sedlak of the Burgenland Business Agency and Mgr. Marek Krnáč and Mgr. Patrik Ondrejech of the Regional Innovation and Development Agency of the Trnava Self-Governing Region focused on their respective regions’ innovation strategies, priorities and current activities.
- Mgr. Ján Mazúr, PhD., EMPA, Tomáš Kyselovič of Bratislava City and Mag. Gerrit Thell representing Vienna City and Vienna Region presented on the city-level priorities and potential joint cross-border collaborations.
- Several structural gaps were consistently highlighted:
Lack of coordination and continuity: Cross-border cooperation exists but is fragmented and largely project-based, with limited long-term structures.
Weak translation into industrial impact: SMEs face challenges in adopting new technologies due to limited absorptive capacity and access to applied knowledge.
Insufficient cross-border awareness and connectivity: Stakeholders lack visibility of counterparts, capabilities, and responsibilities across the border.
In addition, skills shortages and talent mobility constraints further limit innovation capacity.
- Stakeholders identified strong potential to develop integrated cross-border value chains, especially in:
advanced manufacturing and AI
automotive transformation and mobility
energy and green technologies
life sciences and biotech
Learnings from exploratory trips pave the way forward
Insights from other European innovation regions have provided helpful guidance on how such structures can function in the long term.
Project partner fact-finding mission to Basque Region
Project partner study mission to Denmark and Sweden
Project consortium study trip to the Netherlands
Project consortium study trip to Bratislava-Vienna Region
What comes next?
The roundtable confirmed that the Vienna-Bratislava region has all necessary ingredients to become a leading cross-border innovation ecosystem in Europe. The primary challenge is not capability, but coordination and execution. The next phase must therefore focus on turning alignment into action – through structured collaboration, targeted value chain development, and tangible joint projects. Our goal is to establish regular cross-border exchange.
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