Investments | Building phase 5 launched at Lakeside Park

07/23/2018

The ground-breaking ceremony that kicks off the fifth building phase at Lakeside Science & Technology Park in Klagenfurt will pave the way for more space for research and development of JOANNEUM RESEARCH, Alpen-Adria University and business enterprises. Latest generation drones and robots will collaborate here in future.

Since its opening in the year 2005, Lakeside Science & Technology Park in the south of Austria has developed into an outstanding hub of innovation of international renown; a site where companies, research and educational institutes work on the development of future information and communication technologies. "Success entails success", says CEO Mag. Hans Schönegger, who is proud of the unexpectedly fast development of the past four building phases. "Some 70 companies and three research institutes have set up business at the Lakeside Park; we are working to full capacity." The current € 13 million investment means additional 4,600 m² office space, laboratories and research facilities. The completion of the new building is scheduled for autumn next year.

"The construction start rings in a new phase of development for robotics at Lakeside Park", says Univ.-Doz. DI Dr. Michael Hofbaur, Director of ROBOTICS, the JOANNEUM RESEARCH Institute for Robotics and Mechatronics based in Klagenfurt. Six metre high laboratory rooms for research on industry-relevant human-robot collaboration and the infrastructure that will soon be available for a robotics safety centre are setting new standards and will open up new business fields. The CEO of JOANNEUM RESEARCH, Univ.-Prof. DI Dr. Wolfgang Pribyl, MBA stresses the Lakeside Park’s USP. "We are happy about the first-rate infrastructure and other benefits the Park offers. We find excellent conditions and ample scope for flexible research here. Various institutes share use of the laboratories and together with Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt as our cooperation partner, we are able to expand our focus of mobile manipulation also to the air."

The issue of intelligent, automated recording and distribution of airborne tasks is the field of research of Prof. Dr. Stephan Weiss: "The hangar makes it possible for us to test new methods and algorithms of drone navigation safely, fast and in a targeted manner, which means that innovative research can be translated into practical and industrial applications faster." The tower-shaped room that will be built for Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt and that extends over three floors will be equipped with a high-quality motion-capture system. This camera-based algorithm for GPS-independent drone navigation was developed by Prof. Weiss and has already been used on Mars missions; it provides valuable options for national and international cooperation. Connections with institutions such as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, University of Southern California, ETH Zurich, MIT and University of Toronto have already been established.

The Styrian Minister for the Economy and Science, MMag. Barbara Eibinger-Miedl, and the Vice Governor of Carinthia, Dr. Gaby Schaunig, agree: "We are reaping the benefits of the close alliance between the two Austrian Provinces of Styria and Carinthia: the "Southern Research Axis" provides numerous developments, such as the ROBOTICS department of JOANNEUM RESEARCH." "It all began with a 14.25% investment by the Province of Carinthia three years ago, and today's ground-breaking ceremony is proof of the outstanding quality of our cooperation", says Vice Governor Schaunig pleased.

"The interdisciplinary and application-oriented research and the close cooperation between science and the economy are the key factors of success for the NUTS-1 region Southern Austria, comprising Styria and Carinthia, that boasts the highest research quota in Austria and also is among the top performers in terms of research at European level", Eibinger-Miedl adds.

"If we consider that more than 1,300 jobs have been created on an area that was not more than a swampy field fifteen years ago, we are even more pleased about the further expansion of Lakeside Park", the Mayor of Klagenfurt Dr. Maria-Luise Mathiaschitz comments. "Cooperation platforms like this one here with JOANNEUM RESEARCH and the Alpen-Adria University in one building always generate new business fields and applications, and these boost the international reputation of Klagenfurt as a place where technologies of the future are developed. This also makes Klagenfurt attractive for young people.”

Technical details:

Lakeside Park:

  • Platform for cooperation of business enterprises, research and educational institutions
  • Owner: BABEG (federal, provincial level), City of Klagenfurt
  • € 75.5 m total investment
  • Some 70 companies, 3 research institutions
  • Educational Lab, open research lab for new forms of education and training with a focus on the MINT subjects, entrepreneurship and internationality
  • 34,000 m², 12 buildings
  • 13th building: approx. 4,600 m², € 13 m investment, construction time approx. 1.5 years

 

JOANNEUM RESEARCH:

  • Second largest extramural research establishment in Austria
  • 14.25% held by BABEG (federal, provincial level), 80.75% by the Province of Styria, 5% by Landesholding Burgenland
  • ROBOTICS institute at Lakeside Park founded in 2015
  • Focus: Human-robot collaboration, mobile manipulation, robot safety, technology transfer
  • ROBOTICS Training Centre for companies
  • Currently 26 employees
  • Planned laboratory: 1.600 m², part of it with a room height of 6 m

 

Alpen-Adria University Klagenfurt:

  • Approx. 12,000 students
  • Technical faculty since 2008
  • Focus: networked and embedded systems, intelligent system technology, IT
  • Applications: swarm intelligence of drones in forest inventory-taking (Forest-IMATE project)
  • Planned laboratory: 100 m², »AAUTurm«

For more information:

Lakeside Science & Technology Park
Mag. David Pitschmann|Bakk. Sport
pitschmann(at)lakeside-scitec.com