More perspectives for mobility and innovation BMIMI focuses on equality as a factor for innovation
“Innovation, whether in research or mobility, arises through the exchange of ideas and the shift in perspective. However, these perspectives are unfortunately still too often male-dominated – and thus one-sided. It is clear to me: a location strong in innovation needs diversity, needs women. They bring new perspectives into research, technology and businesses, which often lead to more sustainable and inclusive solutions. As Innovation Ministry, we actively support this”, explains Innovation and Mobility Minister Peter Hanke on the occasion of today's International Women's Day.
In the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure (BMIMI), equality is not just a commitment but a lived reality: All four sectors are led by women and 42 percent of management positions are occupied by women. In terms of gender distribution among employees, true equality has been achieved with 50 percent women and 50 percent men. Nevertheless, there remains a lot to do. Therefore, the ministry implements a variety of measures in the mobility and innovation sector that address structural fracture points – from career orientation to corporate culture.
With the new “Go! Tech” internships, three to six month orientation internships for highschool graduates in key technologies will be announced through the austrian research promotion agency (Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft (FFG)) for the first time in 2026. Goal: To enable especially young women to learn about career fields where they are currently underrepresented.
BMIMI offers support from career choice to equality
Studies show that only half of the young people are well-informed about study opportunities before graduation. Career choice remains strongly influenced by family experiences and traditional school subjects.
“We need to open up perspectives before decisions are made”, emphasises Federal Minister Hanke. “Go! Tech provides young women with a real insight into the world of technology – behind the scenes of the industry.”
A central goal of the Innovation Ministry is to specifically increase employment in the research and technology sector – particularly among women. The department also relies on cultural change:
“Equality, just like innovation, is a cultural issue. We need to retain women in these professions who choose technology”, says Hanke.
The BMIMI initiative Diversitec supports companies in research, technology, and innovation (RTI) recognising the potential of diverse teams and inclusive work environments as strategic success factors – with evidence, tools, and best practices. The FFG funding with the same name financially supports companies if they systematically integrate diversity into their culture.
The BMIMI relies on a broad spectrum of measures for more equality in the RTI sector: In addition to “Go! Tech” or “Diversitec”, this also includes internships for female students, the funding of industry-related dissertations, strengthening the proportion of female project leaders and reviewers, as well as the mandatory consideration of equality goals in performance and financing agreements with affiliates like Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), Silicon Austria Labs (SAL) and Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft (FFG). Leadership and supervisory boards are filled with gender balance in mind.
“Women in Transport” promotes women in the mobility sector
In the area of mobility, it is evident that there is still a long way to go to achieve equality. Currently, the proportion of women in the mobility sector is only around 26 percent, with women in leadership positions only around 23 percent.
As part of the EU-wide platform “Women in Transport”, BMIMI takes measures to increase the visibility of women in mobility businesses as well as to contribute to increasing the proportion of women among staff and in leadership positions through the presentation of best practice examples.
New guideline for gender-equitable governance from BMIMI
The increase in women's representation in politics and governance is also related to the gender mainstreaming strategy that has been in place in Austria for about 25 years. At the end of 2025, BMIMI published the new guideline “Geschlechtergerecht fair-walten”, which introduces the essential application areas of gender mainstreaming and budgeting for governance and highlights related best practices of BMIMI.
“Equality is not a project that you ‘complete’. It is an attitude. Sustainable progress arises where talents can flourish regardless of gender – in mobility, research, and technology, as well as administration. International Women's Day is a good opportunity to remember this. But equality is not only important on holidays, it is a goal we must advocate for every day”, concludes Hanke.