Projects

Every week, scilog features an exemplary project funded by the FWF. The presentations shed light on scientific questions and report on recent insights gained in basic research. The projects not only reflect the great variety of scientific disciplines, but also the range of support options offered by the Austrian Science Fund.

Projects

Assistance in finding accommodation helps refugees with labour market integration

In Austria, society expects recognised refugees to find accommodation and a job quickly. A study conducted at the University of Innsbruck shows that if they are given support in looking for a place to live, refugees find it much easier to be integrated into the labour market. This kind of assistance, however, is provided to […] Continue reading “Assistance in finding accommodation helps refugees with labour market integration”

Projects

When metals become brittle like glass

The materials scientist Lorenz Romaner and his research group are investigating a better way of simulating processes at boundaries of the crystal lattice of metals in order to improve material properties. For this purpose, the Leoben-based researchers are using methods of artificial intelligence to supplement previous physical simulations and correct errors. The technology sector is […] Continue reading “When metals become brittle like glass”

Projects

Need and recognition

Who deserves what or how much? While focusing on need is a fundamental principle in the discussion about equitable distribution, the assessment of what someone “needs” for their life is highly subjective. The social scientist Bernhard Kittel and his team areexploring what needs to happen so that others will accept an individual’s declared need as […] Continue reading “Need and recognition”

Projects

Fine-tuning cochlear implants greatly boosts quality of hearing

Cochlear implants enable people with hearing impairments to communicate with others using spoken language. Noisy environments and diverse sources of interference are still making conversation difficult, however. The Innsbruck biologist Anneliese Schrott-Fischer and her interdisciplinary team have now succeeded in laying the foundations for individually perfecting the implants. Continue reading “Fine-tuning cochlear implants greatly boosts quality of hearing”

Projects

How spruce meets bark beetle

How efficient is the defence mechanism of spruce trees when they are suffering from drought, what attracts bark beetles to stressed trees, and what role do their fungal symbionts play in the infestation? In a basic research project, entomologist Sigrid Netherer and her team succeeded in furnishing the first empirical evidence that drought-stressed spruce trees […] Continue reading “How spruce meets bark beetle”