Schuch Klaus

Mag. Dr. Klaus Schuch

Senior researcher, Project manager

Work and research focus

Klaus SCHUCH, born 1963 in Vienna, is expert on techno-globalisation, research and innovation policies, and evaluation in research and technology policy. He works for ZSI (Centre for Social Innovation) since April 2001. At present he is scientific director and senior scientist at ZSI, Austria. He has earned a PhD from the University of Vienna.

Klaus was also managing director of the Austrian Platform for Research and Technology Policy Evaluation and Austrian delegate to the European RTD Evaluation Network. He was member of the Scientific Committee of COST (2016-2019).

Klaus is and was engaged in a large number of national and international projects. From 2009 to 2012 he analysed the Austrian RTI policy and its implementation under ERAWATCH and from 2015-2019 he was national correspondent for RIO (EC’s Research and Innovation Observatory). In 2007 he was scientific expert of the CREST Working Group on internationalisation in science and technology and in 2012 member of the external expert group of the European Commission to advice on the new European RTI-internationalisation strategy. In 2016/2017 he was delegated to the ERAC Working Group on Impact Measurement. Klaus is advisor to several Austrian agencies and ministries dealing with development cooperation, research, innovation and technology.

From 2006 to 2019 Klaus lectured at the Department of Development Studies at the University of Vienna (topcis: “monitoring and evaluation” and “techno-globalisation”). From 2013 to 2016 he lectured “measuring innovation” at the Danube University Krems (Master for Social Innovation). In 2017 he was lecturing “evaluation” at the FH Campus Wien University of Applied Sciences. Previously he was teaching at the Vienna University of Economics and Business and at the University Linz. He is lecturer in several international summer schools and taught ‘evaluation’ and ‘research and innovation policies’ in the postgraduate SOQUA-course addressing young social scientists.

Education and career:

Study of

geography and economics (Geographie und Wirtschaftskunde),
history and social sciences (Geschichte und Sozialkunde)

at the University Vienna
Master Thesis: “Produktionsplanung- und Steuerung als Beispiel technisch-organisatorischer Innovation. Ein Beitrag zur industriellen Paradigmendiskussion” (1992)
Dissertation: “Central Europe and the European Framework Programmes for RTD” (2004) – with distinction

From October 2014 until June 2025: Scientific Director and CEO of ZSI – Zentrum für Soziale Innovation / Centre for Social Innovation

2012-2014: Strategic Research Manager at ZSI – Zentrum für Soziale Innovation
from 2012 until 2023: Managing Director of the Austrian Platform for Research and Technology Policy Evaluation

2001-2012: Executive Manager and Senior Researcher at the ZSI – Zentrum für Soziale Innovation

2017-2018: Lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Vienna on ‘Theory of Evaluation’ (2017/2018)

2015-2019: Lecturer at the University of Vienna on ‘Research, Technology and Development in a global perspective [Techno-globalisation]’

2012-2016: Lecturer at the Master of Social Innovation course at the Danube University Krems
2006-2015: Lecturer on “Monitoring and Evaluation of Co-operation Projects” at the study programme ‘International Development’ (Univ. Wien)
2006-2015: Lecturer on “Evaluation” and on “European RTD Cooperation” at the academic postgraduate course “SOQUA – professional training in social sciences”

1996-2001: Head of Unit for International Cooperation at the BIT – Büro für Internationale Forschungs- und Technologiekooperation
1993-1997: Lecturer at the Vienna University for Business Administration and Economics (WU-Wien) and at the Johannes-Kepler-Universität Linz
1994-1996: Head of the branch office Sofia of the Austrian Institute of East and Southeast European Studies
1992-1994: Research fellow at the Institute of Economic and Social Geography of the WU-Wien

Projects

All projects

SI Mission Facility

Social Innovation Mission Facility

Bioeconomy & biotech

Social Innovation

Case studies

Duration

04/2025 — 03/2029

Funding

Horizon Europe

make-a-thek

Social Innovation

Duration

02/2025 — 01/2028

Funding

Horizon Europe

RIECS-Concept

Duration

01/2025 — 12/2027

Funding

Horizon Europe

All projects

Publications at ZSI

All publications

Martina Lang, Klaus Schuch, Katharina Koller (2024). Zukunft Hochschule „Kooperationen.Räume.Perspektiven“.

Education

Klaus Schuch (2024). Die Rolle der Geistes-, Sozial- und Kulturwissenschaften und die Bedeutung von sozialer Innovation bei der Umsetzung der Missionsziele .

Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy

Social Innovation

Klaus Schuch, Dorothea Sturn, Stefan Philipp, Olga Bolibok, Brigitte Ecker (Koordination, WPZ Research), Florentine Franz, Simone Maria Grabner, Ernst Hartmann, Katharina Jaik, Gerdhard Kasneci, Joachim Kaufmann, Peter Kaufmann, Jakob Kofler, Verena Régent, Sascha Sardadvar, Valentin Wagner, Katharina Warta. (2024). Österreichischer Forschungs- und Technologiebericht.

Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy

All publications

Selected Publications

Klaus Schuch (2005). The Integration of Central Europe into the European System of Research. Monograph. Guthmann-Peterson: Wien und Mülheim a. d. Ruhr. ISBN 3-900782-51-2.

Klaus Schuch (2022). Social innovation and social sciences. Howaldt, J. and Kaletka, C. (eds). Encyclopaedia of Social Innovation. Edward Elgar Publishing, pp. 376-381.

https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789909357.00023

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Bibtex download

Klaus Schuch, Streicher Jürgen (2022). Soziale Innovationen in Österreich: Vision gesucht. Howaldt, J., Kreibich, M., Streicher, J. und C. Thiem (Hg.). Zukunft gestalten mit Sozialen Innovationen. Neue Herausforderungen für Politik, Gesellschaft und Wirtschaft.

https://doi.org/10.12907/978-3-593-45126-8

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Bibtex download