Digital Health Austria Flagship projects 2026

Funding is provided for large-volume, cooperative Flagship projects with high relevance for the Austrian healthcare system.

The projects should combine digital innovations with organizational, social and regulatory issues and develop solutions that:

• are applicable in real care contexts, 
• take into account different supply realities, 
• and can be scaled and further developed in the future. 

The focus is on projects with a clear application and implementation perspective that bring together science, business and healthcare in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary way.

In addition, experts from aws and LBG support the applicants and funded projects with Accompanying measures to further develop project ideas in a targeted manner, find suitable partners and strengthen the quality of planned submissions as early as the application phase.

Eligible to participate are

• Companies of all sizes 
• Research institutions  
• Startups  
• other relevant organizations as part of a consortium 

A consortium is responsible for the submission at least three independent partners required  

The minimum consortium comprises

• two companies with a branch in Austria, at least one of which is an SME, and
• a research institution with a branch in Austria.

Depending on the project, different professional and practical perspectives should be involved. Where appropriate and necessary, stakeholders from healthcare, regulation, interest groups, patient organizations or other relevant areas can also contribute.

Companies in difficulty as defined are excluded from funding. Information on classification can be found here.

Funding is provided in the form of a non-repayable grant of  up to a maximum of 80% of the eligible project costs . 

The projects can be assigned to the research categories Industrial Research (IF) or Experimental Development (EE). The respective research category is determined at the level of the individual work packages.

• Small enterprises (KU) 60 to 80 % (EE, IF)
• Medium-sized enterprises (MU) 50 to 70  % (EE, IF)
• Large companies (JV) 35 to 55 % (EE, IF)

Please use the TRL scheme (Technology Readiness Levels) as a guide during the application phase.

Formal criteria

• Registration and submission via the electronic  eCall system  of the FFG
• Compliance with submission deadlines
• Completeness of the documents (project description, cost plan, CVs, business plan if applicable).
• Participation in a mandatory submission meeting before submitting the application
• Submission by an eligible consortium in accordance with the tender guidelines

Requirements for the consortium

Flagship projects must be submitted by a consortium of at least three independent partners:

• two companies with a branch in Austria, at least one of which is an SME, and
• a research institution with a branch in Austria.

Depending on the project, other relevant partners can be involved, for example from healthcare, patient organizations, regulation, public administration or other socially relevant areas.

Content criteria

Projects are evaluated in particular on the basis of the following criteria:

• Innovation content 
  Level of innovation, scientific and technical quality as well as ambitious and comprehensible research and development goals.
• Project objectives and quality of implementation 
  Clarity and comprehensibility of the project objectives, quality of the solution approach, appropriateness of the methods and plausibility of the work plan.
• Benefits and utilization 
  Expected benefits for users and the healthcare system, implementation perspective, market potential and quality of the utilization strategy.
• Quality of the consortium and resources 
  Professional and organizational skills of the project partners, quality of cooperation and adequacy of resources.
• Contribution to the tender objectives 
  Contribution to the digital transformation of the healthcare system, application orientation, systemic impact and relevance for the further development of healthcare.

Project-specific requirements

Flagship projects should

• go beyond traditional research and development projects
• combining scientific excellence with a strong focus on implementation
• have a clear perspective for application and systemic impact
• Develop solutions that can be tested, implemented and scaled in real care contexts.

Important note

Please read the Tender Guide and the Instrument Guide carefully before submitting - especially the chapters on: 

• Participation requirements 
• Requirements for the consortium
• Evaluation criteria 
• As well as funding conditions

Please fill in the eCall all questions the project description, work packages, cost plan and financing must be complete and comprehensible. Only complete applications can be evaluated in accordance with the funding criteria.

General information on registration in eCall

All relevant guidelines and templates can be found on this page. The submission is made via the eCall of the FFG.

Not yet founded an organization? 
Then during eCall registration:

• Select "My organization is": Entrepreneurial activity
• Select "Identification number": No ID
• Enter personal data and date of birth

After foundation: Update organizational data in eCall (Button: announcing changes to the organizational data )

How do I arrange the mandatory submission meeting?

Before submitting an application for funding, each consortium must submit a mandatory submission meeting with representatives of the FFG, the aws and the LBG.

Appointments can be booked online using the following booking system: Termino booking

Important notes on booking

• Please book only one appointment per consortium.
• If you are unable to keep a booked appointment, please cancel in good time.
• The discussions take place online.
• After successful booking, you will automatically receive the corresponding Zoom link.

Procedure of the interview

A short presentation of the planned project is planned as part of the meeting. Approximately 10 to 15 minutes are available for this.

The presentation should include the following points in particular:

• Objective and content of the project
• central project partners
• rough cost planning

This is followed by the opportunity to clarify questions about the call for proposals and the funding format. In addition, an initial assessment is made of the general fit of the project with the call for proposals and the funding format.

The submission meetings are mandatory, but do not constitute a preliminary assessment or preliminary decision with regard to the subsequent application.

Once the applications have been submitted, they are reviewed by external experts.

On the basis of these assessments, an evaluation committee makes a funding recommendation. The meeting of the evaluation panel is currently scheduled for the end of February / beginning of March 2027.

The final funding decision is made by the management of the FFG.