The History of the Research Center
The first chapter of the Austrian Workers' Compensation Board (AUVA) Center for Traumatology Research began in 1973 with the establishment of the AUVA Institute for Traumatology Research by Dr. Wolfgang Krösl, former Director of the AUVA. Professor Dr. Günther Schlag, later appointed head of the Institute, expanded the Research Center in 1980 by founding the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology. Research pursuits and budget planning are supervised annually by a board of trustees. According to their stated ordinance, the AUVA is obliged to ensure continuous improvement in patient care, thereby supporting research pursuits and remaining a main source of funding to the Research Center. Further financial support is received directly from projects in industry and the European Union. With the integration of the non-profit organization Trauma Care Consult in 1998, the Research Center was strengthened by its enhanced industrial relations and broadened its network with the founding of the Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration in December 2006.
Achievements of the Research Center are not only evidenced by its array of scientific publications (over 1,200 since 1980), but also by its organization of several international congresses (i.e. The Vienna Schock Forum, The Wiggers-Bernard Conferences, Shock Societies Conferences and International Fibrin Sealant Conferences) and composition of books and book series. The "Günther Schlag Award" is granted to young scientists for oustanding research projects in Trauma Care.
An imperative to fulfill the aforementioned mission is to maintain national contacts as well as diverse international cooperation, including participation in several European Union projects and GENAU.
Presently, approximately thirty persons are employed in the Institute, comprising mainly of chemists, biochemists, physicians, veterinarians, physicists, medical and electrical technicians. This multidisciplinary team covers a broad spectrum in applied research.
The Institute is also involved in the education and continuing education of physicians and students (theses, dissertations) and has assisted multiple colleagues in their postdoctorate programs. Education is enhanced, especially in regards to industrial application, through a partnership with the University of Applied Sciences in Vienna (Technikum Wien) - "Biomedical Engineering" course.