Austria is launching new funding for deep-tech projects and drivers are being warned about major disruption around the Brenner route, plus more stories from Austria on Wednesday.
Austria launches new funding for deep-tech and research projects
Austria is starting a new Seal of Excellence-Förderung for research and innovation projects. The funding is aimed at projects that have already received a Seal of Excellence under Horizon Europe but could not be financed because of limited EU funds.
Austria will use the European assessment already carried out, with no additional national expert review planned. The pilot initiative will be handled by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency, FFG, as a lump-sum grant to reduce administrative work and help projects move faster.
There are two funding lines. The EIC Accelerator Seal of Excellence is aimed at Austrian startups and SMEs, with funding of up to 70 percent of eligible project costs and a maximum of €2.5 million per project, while the ERC Proof of Concept Seal of Excellence offers €150,000 per project as a non-repayable lump-sum grant.
READ ALSO: How entrepreneurs can get Austria‘s ‘Red-White-Red’ card
Drivers warned to avoid Tirol during Brenner closure
Drivers are being urged to avoid travelling through Tirol on May 30th because of a major closure on the Brenner route. The ÖAMTC said the Brenner Autobahn A13 between the Schönberg toll station and the Brenner Pass, the Brenner Straße B182, and the Ellbögener Straße L38 will be closed to all traffic from 11 am to 7 pm due to an assembly, with destination and local traffic exempt.
The Brenner Autobahn A22 in South Tyrol will also be closed northbound from the Sterzing toll station from 10:30 am to 8 pm. A driving ban for lorries over 7.5 tonnes will come into force at 7 am.
The ÖAMTC said there are effectively no good alternative routes, with the Tauern and Pyhrn motorways expected to be overloaded because of holiday traffic.
Drivers passing through on the way to Italy or Croatia will not be allowed to leave the motorway on the Tauern route just to avoid traffic, and the club says higher traffic volumes are also expected on the day before and the day after the blockade.
READ ALSO: What drivers in Austria need to know about the Tyrol Brenner protest shutdown
Vienna records 1.7 million overnight stays in April
Vienna recorded 1.725 million Gästenächtigungen in April, down 4 percent compared with April 2025. Since the start of the year, the city has recorded 5.584 million overnight stays, up 4 percent on the same period last year.
Austria was the largest market in the year to date, with 1.069 million overnight stays, followed by Germany with 1.023 million. Other top markets included Italy, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Switzerland, Turkey and Poland.
Vienna’s accommodation businesses recorded net overnight-stay turnover of around €95.6 million in March, up 10 percent on March 2025. From January to March, turnover reached around €236.6 million, while average room occupancy in April was around 71 percent, compared with around 77 percent a year earlier.
READ ALSO: Is Vienna set to hit tourists with a special culture tax?
Vienna police officer accepts diversion after alleged slap case
A 24-year-old Vienna police officer went on trial over allegations that he slapped a 16-year-old during a nighttime police operation in Wien-Liesing, according to Der Standard. He initially denied the charge of abuse of office before later saying that the indictment was correct and that he confessed to it.
The incident took place at around 3 am on August 2nd after police were called to a report of drunk teenagers near the U6 station Siebenhirten. Prosecutors argued that the alleged slaps didn’t amount to bodily harm but violated the teenager’s right not to be subjected to degrading treatment.
Two ambulance workers told the court they saw and heard at least two slaps, and one of them had anonymously reported the incident to the Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption.
The court offered a diversionary settlement if the officer paid a Geldbuße of €4,560 plus €440 in costs, making €5,000 in total, and the proceedings were adjourned indefinitely.
READ ALSO: Austrian police probed over alleged climate protest arrest violence
From our guides
For anyone dealing with Austria’s tax calendar this year, our guide to the essential tax dates to remember in Austria in 2026 explains the recurring deadlines that still matter, including the June 30th online filing deadline, quarterly prepayments, monthly employer and VAT deadlines, and the October 1st interest date.
Members get access to this and other in-depth guides, explainers and practical stories on The Local Austria, including help with tax returns, deadlines and everyday bureaucracy.
What’s happening in Austria today
Austria’s Council of Ministers meets at the Federal Chancellery in Vienna at 10 am, with a press foyer scheduled for around 10:30 am.
Universities have called a demonstration against feared budget cuts at 1 pm outside the University of Vienna’s main building on the Ring. Actions are also planned in provincial capitals and university locations, so students, university staff and people travelling around central Vienna should watch for disruption.
READ ALSO: When and where Austria’s university budget protests are planned this week
It’s forecast to be hot and changeable across much of Austria. Yellow heat warnings are listed for Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt, while yellow thunderstorm warnings are listed for Graz and Klagenfurt from 12 pm to 8 pm.
Rail passengers should check connections before travelling. ÖBB lists restrictions between Wien Floridsdorf and Vienna Airport until 11:59 pm, replacement buses between Linz and České Budějovice, and ongoing restrictions on the southern route between Vienna and Villach until May 29th at 5 am.
Several services also have changes today. The federal Transparenzportal warns of possible disruption from 12 pm to around 1 pm, the Lower Austria provincial library and archive in St. Pölten are closed, and WKO Vienna’s business registration and NeuFöG service is available only until 3 pm.
For culture, Vienna Shorts continues at the MuseumsQuartier, with a free open-air screening listed at 9:30 pm. The Wiener Festwochen also continues at the Badeschiff, and the Salzburger Dult runs from 11 am at the Messezentrum Salzburg.
READ ALSO: ‘Achtung… Gefahr’: What do Austria’s weather warnings actually mean?
Coming up later on The Local
Later today, we’ll publish our monthly guide to the best events in Austria in June 2026.
Vocabulary
die Förderung – funding or subsidy
die Brenner Autobahn – the Brenner motorway
die Gästenächtigung – overnight stay by a guest
der Amtsmissbrauch – abuse of office
die Geldbuße – monetary fine or penalty
If you have any questions about life in Austria, ideas for articles, or news tips for The Local, you can contact us at news@thelocal.at or leave a comment below.