As a best practice example, the country will now become an important part of the major European research infrastructure DiSSCo (Distributed System of Scientific Collections) in 2025.
DiSSCo is a European research infrastructure that digitizes and standardizes all scientific resources and thus creates cross-border access to scientific knowledge in Europe. Thanks to the newly created virtual knowledge database, collections can be found throughout Europe and used efficiently. As the largest European network of natural history museums, botanical gardens, universities and other collection-leading research institutions to date, DiSSCo offers innovative added value for the transfer of knowledge in science, research, society and the business world.

"Investing in research infrastructures such as DiSSCo is investing in Europe's future. These institutions make our knowledge visible, accessible and turn it into an engine for innovation and social development. By digitising our collections, we are creating the basis for evidence-based research into biodiversity, climate and health – and preserving our knowledge for future generations. At the same time, we are strengthening the basis for a well-fortified democracy based on facts and scientific knowledge.”, confirmed Eva-Maria Holzleitner, BSc, Federal Minister for Women, Science and Research (BMFWF).

In Austria, the digitisation of scientific collections is organized in the context of the DiSSCO infrastructure through the Open Scientific Collections Austria (OSCA) consortium. OSCA is an association of Austrian museums and universities dedicated to the digital opening of the Austrian natural science collections. 
OSCA accompanies the digital provision of its more than 56 million collection objects and represents Austria in Europe as an interface to the European infrastructure DiSSCo. The OSCA consortium is coordinated by the Natural History Museum Vienna (NHM). During the initial phase, the BMKOES (now BMWKMS) supported the OSCA consortium. Since January 2025, the consortium has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research (BMFWF). 

"We are very proud that the Austrian government sees the great potential of all its natural history collections – which are preserved in museums, universities and foundations – for Europe's future viability and therefore supports its digital accessibility. The OSCA – Open Scientific Collections Austria – Consortium acts as a driver of digital transformation while strengthening competences in all institutions. As a future contribution and part of the European research infrastructure DiSSCo, this initiative demonstrates the power of cooperation: We all learn from each other” enthused Dr. Katrin Vohland, Director General and Scienctifi Director, NHM Vienna.
 
The digitization of scientific collections began in the late 1980s and early 1990s, mainly in the form of digital catalogues. With the modernization of processes for mass digitization and other tools, not least AI-supported processes and robotics, even large collection holdings can undergo digital transformation.
“The cooperation of the Austrian institutions in OSCA and Austria's participation in DiSSCo substantially promotes the availability of the objects in the common national data network and throughout Europe. This also makes the contribution of each individual institution in OSCA visible across institutional and national boundaries and enables an important Austrian contribution to the European Research Area via DiSSCo. All this is the result of decades of cooperation and agreement on common goals,” noted Mag. Heimo Rainer, OSCA Project Manager and Director of the Botanical Department, NHM Vienna.

Dr. Robert Lindner, Director of Haus der Natur in Salzburg, explained the value of OSCA from the perspective of state museums: “As in most other state museums, the collections at the Haus der Natur house important and scientifically valuable evidence. Digital availability is an imperative of the hour to preserve the scientific value of our collections while conserving resources. Networks such as OSCA and DISSCo enable us to become part of a common European research area, despite having fewer human resources than the major research museums. This international collaboration helps us to showcase treasures in our collections that might otherwise go undiscovered. This highlights and increases the value of our collections.”

“The OSCA project (Open Scientific Collections Austria) makes an important contribution to the University of Vienna’s digitalization strategy and, at the same time, to the University of Vienna’s strategic priorities, in particular in the areas of ‘Digital and data-based transformations of science and society’, ‘Systems of Life – Fundamentals of Life’ and ‘Climate, Environment, Sustainability’. By jointly digitizing scientific collections of Austrian institutions and networking them via European platforms such as DiSSCo, we create a European research infrastructure of international relevance and visibility.

Austria’s largest university herbarium, for instance, with its approximately 1.5 million specimens from all plant and fungal groups, including more than 15,000 types, contains important historical collections with specimens from all over the world, with a particular focus on South-Eastern Europe, the Alpine region and China. The zoological collection, on the other hand, houses one of Austria’s most extensive collections of anatomical, embryological and histological collections of vertebrate animals,” elucidated Dr. Ronald Maier, Vice Rector for Digitalization and Knowledge Transfer, University of Vienna. 

In conclusion, Dr. Dimitris Koureas, Managing Director, Naturalis Biodiversity Center (Leiden, Niederlande) described the vision of DiSSCo at the European level: „Austria’s decision to organise its national collections community through OSCA and connect it with DiSSCo is a practical step to deliver more value from Austria’s collections and expertise to science and society. DiSSCo’s goal is to build end-to-end, high-throughput knowledge systems for the natural world that combine curatorial expertise with modern technologies. OSCA serves as Austria’s national node, ensuring that Austrian data and know-how both contribute to—and benefit from—the European infrastructure“.

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