EU Commissioner Zaharieva Visits ISTA

EU Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva toured the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) on November 18, 2025. The visit included meetings with management, professors, postdocs and students, highlighting how ISTA’s blend of curiosity-driven frontier research, science outreach, and translation of breakthroughs into start-ups contributes to Europe’s innovation goals.

The half-day tour – which followed a visit to Brussels by an ISTA delegation in March 2025 – began with an official welcome by ISTA President Martin Hetzer, Managing Director Georg Schneider, Executive Vice President and Professor of Neuroscience Gaia Novarino, Deputy Managing Director Barbara Abraham, and XISTA Managing Director Markus Wanko.

ISTA at a Glance

After the welcome, the Commissioner and her delegation received an overview of ISTA’s role in the European research landscape. Hetzer outlined the Institute’s history and mission as a growing hub of scientific excellence in the heart of Europe built on independence, scientific freedom, and interdisciplinarity.

“It was a pleasure welcoming Commissioner Zaharieva to our campus. At ISTA, we have built an ecosystem for innovation that strongly connects world-class science with society and the economy. Today’s visit was a welcome chance to talk about how our work supports Europe’s priorities in research and innovation.”

ISTA President Martin Hetzer

The presentation pointed to the Institute’s international reach, with around 80 nationalities on campus and 38 percent of professors recruited from the United States. It also highlighted the Institute’s strength in securing EU funding: 80 percent of ISTA professors hold one or more European Research Council grants with an overall success rate of 49 percent.

A look into ISTA’s labs

As part of her visit, Commissioner Zaharieva toured several of the 90 research groups on ISTA’s growing campus. Her first stop was at the laboratory of Verbund Professor for Energy Sciences and Head of the Werner Siemens Thermoelectric Laboratory Maria Ibáñez, where she gained insights into research on new materials for the energy sector. She then moved on to Christoph Lampert’s group for an introduction to ISTA’s work on improving the trustworthiness of AI methods, followed by a visit to Gaia Novarino’s laboratory, where research focuses on neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, intellectual disability, and autism.

Meet & Greet with students

Next, the Commissioner and ISTA management met with postdocs and PhD students from different research groups at the newly opened VISTA Science Experience Center. These included Julia Gallenberger, Philippe Georg Dehio, and Roksolana Kobylinska. Their perspectives highlighted the Institute’s role as a training ground for early-career scientists and its emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. During the discussion, Commissioner Zaharieva underscored that Europe must articulate a positive, forward-looking story rooted in its scientific excellence and research leadership, both to draw top talent and to strengthen the continent’s self-confidence.

From science to start-ups

A short walk across the bridge linking the science part of the campus to the technology transfer arm, led to a presentation by Markus Wanko at the XISTA Tech Park. This stop on the tour illustrated how ISTA connects frontier research with the broader innovation ecosystem through start-up support, venture funding, mentoring, and partnerships.

In June 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited ISTA, noting its international, interdisciplinary research environment and its efforts to link science with society and the economy.