Austria joins the European research infrastructure for natural history collections DiSSCo (Distributed System of Scientific Collections) - Invitation to the press conference with Federal Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner
04. September 2025
Invitation to the press conference on Thursday, 11 September 2025, at 9 a.m.
in the lecture hall of the NHM Vienna
(Entry: from 08.30 am via the main entrance of the NHM Vienna, Maria-Theresien-Platz)
(Entry: from 08.30 am via the main entrance of the NHM Vienna, Maria-Theresien-Platz)
Research infrastructures are the backbone of scientific innovation – and a driver of societal development in a digital world.
The digitisation of natural science collections unlocks new knowledge, connects Austria’s material heritage with cutting-edge data standards, and makes our cultural and scientific memory globally visible and usable – for research, policy, and society.
Investments in powerful infrastructures such as OSCA (Open Scientific Collections Austria) and DiSSCo (Distributed System of Scientific Collections) secure Austria’s position in the European Research Area (ERA). They enable collaborative top-level research in line with FAIR principles, lay the groundwork for innovation, and make our knowledge open, accessible, and future-proof. Only by linking collections and data can we address global challenges such as biodiversity loss and climate change in an evidence-based manner – and preserve this knowledge for future generations.
The aim is to create a complete digital catalogue of Austria’s collections, i.e. 100% inventory coverage of all biological (botanical, zoological), geoscientific (palaeontological, geological, mineralogical, extraterrestrial), and anthropological collection objects. Additionally, selected objects will be digitised in 2D – and in a few cases, in 3D. Achieving these strategic goals requires a significant digitisation effort.
The speakers are:
With the request for registration (only in case of commitment) to the PC under: irina.kubadinow@nhm.at
General request for information:
Mag. Irina Kubadinow, Head of Press Department, Press Spokesperson
https://www.nhm.at/irina_kubadinow
Tel.: + 43 (1) 521 77 – 410 irina.kubadinow@nhm.at
The digitisation of natural science collections unlocks new knowledge, connects Austria’s material heritage with cutting-edge data standards, and makes our cultural and scientific memory globally visible and usable – for research, policy, and society.
Investments in powerful infrastructures such as OSCA (Open Scientific Collections Austria) and DiSSCo (Distributed System of Scientific Collections) secure Austria’s position in the European Research Area (ERA). They enable collaborative top-level research in line with FAIR principles, lay the groundwork for innovation, and make our knowledge open, accessible, and future-proof. Only by linking collections and data can we address global challenges such as biodiversity loss and climate change in an evidence-based manner – and preserve this knowledge for future generations.
The aim is to create a complete digital catalogue of Austria’s collections, i.e. 100% inventory coverage of all biological (botanical, zoological), geoscientific (palaeontological, geological, mineralogical, extraterrestrial), and anthropological collection objects. Additionally, selected objects will be digitised in 2D – and in a few cases, in 3D. Achieving these strategic goals requires a significant digitisation effort.
The speakers are:
- Dr. Katrin Vohland, Director General and Scientific Director, NHM Vienna
- Eva-Maria Holzleitner, BSc, Federal Minister for Women, Science and Research (BMFWF)
- Mag. Heimo Rainer, OSCA Project Lead and Head of the Department of Botany, NHM Vienna
- Dr. Robert Lindner, Director, Haus der Natur in Salzburg
- Dr. Ronald Maier, Vice Rector for Digitalization and Knowledge Transfer, University of Vienna
- Dr. Dimitris Koureas, Managing Director of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden (NL) and Executive Director of the Pan-European Research Infrastructure DiSSCo
With the request for registration (only in case of commitment) to the PC under: irina.kubadinow@nhm.at
General request for information:
Mag. Irina Kubadinow, Head of Press Department, Press Spokesperson
https://www.nhm.at/irina_kubadinow
Tel.: + 43 (1) 521 77 – 410 irina.kubadinow@nhm.at
© NHM Wien, Chloe Potter
