ISTA opens new operations centre in Klosterneuburg

The Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) has opened a new operations centre at its campus in Klosterneuburg, Tulln district, ORF reported. The centre will support logistics and day-to-day operations as the site continues to expand.

The 573-square-metre facility includes offices, technical rooms and a hall for flexible use. ISTA President Martin Hetzer said the campus depended not only on researchers but also on apprentices, tradespeople and technicians.

“The campus involves much more than research itself,” Hetzer said at the opening on Wednesday. Its long-term goal, he said, was to create a scientific centre known for cutting-edge research.

Science and Research Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner said the new facility might sound ordinary, but was important because excellent basic research was being conducted at the campus in Lower Austria and Austria, with internationally respected scientists.

Lower Austrian Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner described the operations centre as an important “heartbeat” of the ISTA campus.

The facility is part of the third phase of the campus expansion. A kindergarten opened there last year, while a new group of buildings called Lab7 is being developed with additional laboratory and research space. Laboratory buildings 8 and 9 are also due to be completed by 2036.

Once the expansion is complete, the campus is expected to host about 150 research groups and more than 2,000 employees.