The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) is a PhD granting research institution. Located in Klosterneuburg on the outskirts of Vienna, the institute is dedicated to basic research in the natural and mathematical sciences. IST Austria employs professors on a tenure-track system, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students at its international graduate school. While dedicated to the principle of curiosity-driven research, the institute owns the rights to all scientific discoveries and is committed to promote their use. Established jointly by the federal government of Austria and the provincial government of Lower Austria, the Institute was inaugurated in 2009 and will grow to about 90 research groups by 2026.
The Scientific Service Units (SSUs) at IST Austria provide scientists with professional services and state-of-the-art equipment for performing research at an internationally competitive level. The SSUs are central core facilities open to all scientists of the institute and aim at maximizing the sharing of high-performance infrastructure among multiple research groups to avoid a duplication of efforts and expenses. In addition, SSU staff offers IST Austria researchers the support they need to ensure their excellent findings in science. Currently, eight SSUs are established on campus: the Bioimaging Facility, the Electron Microscopy Facility,the Life Sciences Facility, Scientific Computing, the Library, the MIBA Machine shop, the Preclinical Facility, and the Nanofabrication Facility. Three of these SSUs -the Electron Microscopy Facility, the Nanofabrication Facility and the Plant Facility (part of the Life Science Facility)- are actively represented in the RIAT-CZ project.