The project
Putting an idea into practice
Launch
The Science Communication Centre was formally established on 18 December 2024, when the founding charter was signed by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the University of Vienna, the Technical University of Vienna and the (former) Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research.
House of research
By 2027, a vibrant space for dialogue around science will be taking shape in Vienna’s city centre. Newly designed exhibition areas will showcase research topics from the participating institutions, alongside an immersive virtual reality LED installation that brings scientific visualisations to life in interactive 3D. An open and welcoming café area will also be created on the ground floor.
Events and interaction
Q will host a changing programme of science exhibitions and science events, offering visitors the opportunity to engage with current research topics. The exhibitions will be designed to be interactive, creating a large-scale experimental space that makes science tangible and hands-on for both young people and adults alike.
New promenade
The structural adaptations will also change the cityscape: opening up the two façades will create a new research promenade between Bäckerstraße and Wollzeile. In future, it will connect the neighbourhood's scientific hotspots: the Q and the Austrian Academy of Sciences campus to the Otto Wagner Postsparkasse.
The architectural redesign was entrusted to the architects MohrNiklas (www.mohr-niklas.at) which was selected for the project in an open tender process.
Founding Lab
Für die Entwicklung und Konzeption der ersten Inhalte hat das Q-Team das Format „Founding Lab“ ins Leben gerufen. Hier denken Vermittler*innen und Gestalter*innen gemeinsam mit Wissenschafter*innen und Jugendlichen darüber nach, wie eine interaktive, partizipative und inklusive Ausstellungskultur geschaffen werden kann.
Im Bild: Studierende der Universität Wien in einem Gespräch über Inklusion und Communitybuilding.
Key facts
Project start
2024
Opening
2027
Area
4.000m²
Costs
17 Mio. Euro
Expected visitors
70.000
Christopher Lindinger
In 2024, Christopher Lindinger was entrusted with the conceptual development of the Science Communication Centre and has been its Managing Director and Founding Director since 2025.
Previously, he was a member of the founding team of the Ars Electronica Futurelab, where he served as Co-Director responsible for Research and Innovation. In 2019, he moved to Johannes Kepler University Linz as Vice-Rector. Since 2023, he has been Professor of Art and Digitality at the University Mozarteum.