The competence centres programmes launched in 1998 are among the most successful technology policy initiatives in Austria. Today, some 1,500 researchers from science and industrywork on jointly defined research programmes at more than 40 centres. The programmes are internationally recognised as Best-Practice models.
Building on these experiences a new programme is now being launched:
COMET - Competence Centres for Excellent Technologies.
Special support will be given to those research activities which operate at the cutting-edge and which also promise a high international profile. The competences of the playersworking at the centres are to be bundled to a greater extent than in the past, with the aim of systematically leveraging content-related synergies in order to obtain a global competitive advantage.

COMET is sponsored by the Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Labour (BMWA), which are following
up on the success of their previous competence centre programmes.
The provinces also support COMET with additional funds. The Austrian Research Promotion Agency is responsible for the management of COMET.