About Us
AC2T research GmbH (AC²T), the Austrian Competence Centre for Tribology, is an R&D service provider that develops innovative solutions in the area of tribology, the study of friction and wear.
- By systematically linking multiple disciplines, AC²T achieves comprehensive solutions in the areas of friction optimisation and protection against wear and lubricant application, which are then implemented by industry partners to optimise reliability and lifespan.
- With its research and development capacities and over 100 employees active in the scientific area, AC²T is among the largest private-sector R&D services providers in tribology worldwide.
Vision & Mission
AC²T is one of the central points of contact for research activities in tribology in Europe and is considered a powerful market participant.
It focuses on the transfer of comprehensive tribology knowledge to the industry by providing high-quality staff and state-of-the-art facilities in line with a synergetic, cost-optimised “multi-user system”.
Corporate Goals
Based on the goals of the AC²T team and the specifications of the shareholders, we primarily pursue the following goals:
- Generating new, interdisciplinary and integrated knowledge, including in tribology
- Systematic cooperation and networking with the aim of driving forward new tribotechnical methods and procedures
- Promoting the application of this new knowledge in the industry with the goal of increased tribological and ecological efficiency
- Providing impulses for research activities in innovative areas of tribology
- Increasing public awareness with regard to the relevance of tribology for socially and environmentally sustainable growth
- Participating in the specialist training and further education of R&D staff in the field of tribology
Mission Statement
- As a capable R&D services provider, we serve as a point of contact for tribology projects in Austria and strive for both national and international recognition
- Supporting the technological advancement of our clients by providing knowledge and infrastructure to solve tribological problems
- Achieving synergy effects through targeted collaborations and by combining available competences in the specialist field of tribology with other authoritative R&D providers in Austria and the transnational region
- Our activities are intended to contribute to conscientious economic growth through the development and application of sustainable technologies in terms of society and the environment
- We ensure the optimum use of the monetary resources made available to us by our clients and sponsors
Company History
By the end of the 1980s, the scientific association of the Austrian Tribology Society had set itself the objective of initiating an organisation for interdisciplinary R&D services in the area of tribology.
Thanks to the opportunities provided by the technology programme Kplus (competence centre programme by the Austrian government), and with the support of the state of Lower Austria, starting in the year 2000 the project was transformed from an idea into a concrete plan of action. As a result of the successful participation in the internationally evaluated Kplus call for tender, the implementation phase was initiated at the start of 2002.
On 10 July 2002, the sponsoring organisation “AC2T research GmbH (AC²T)” was founded. In October 2002, AC²T officially commenced its activities with the framework project “Kplus Centre of Competence for Tribology” at the Technology and Research Centre Wiener Neustadt (TFZ).
AC²T has been offering client-funded R&D services since 2003. As of 2006, the company has been participating in European research projects.
Due to the limitation of the Kplus funding programme to 7 years (2002 to 2009), as part of the new COMET technology programme (Competence Centres for Excellent Technologies), AC²T applied for the framework project “COMET K2 CENTRE” at the end of 2008. Based on the submitted project with the acronym “XTribology” and the results of the two-stage, competitive selection process with an international review, in autumn 2009 AC²T was awarded the status COMET K2 CENTRE with the framework project XTribology, thus making AC²T a “Centre of Excellence for Tribology”.
From April 2010 to March 2020, more than 30 research projects were carried out within the XTribology framework project with the participation of over 100 corporate and scientific partners. Approximately half of the funding for XTribology came from public federal resources granted by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), as well as from funds provided by the states of Lower Austria, Vienna and Vorarlberg.
In mid-2010, AC²T was involved in the founding of “Aerospace and Advanced Composites GmbH (AAC)”, which specialises in materials-oriented R&D services in the aerospace sector at the TFZ Wiener Neustadt location.
In the year 2012, with the 4th expansion phase of the TFZ, the AC²T business premises were further extended to a total of approx. 4,000 m².
In 2018, AC²T submitted an application for a further period as a COMET K2 CENTRE in the scope of the COMET technology programme (Competence Centres for Excellent Technologies). Based on the results of the competitive selection process with an international review, AC²T was granted the framework project InTribology.
The COMET framework project InTribology began on 1 April 2020 and will run for a period of 8 years, encompassing 18 individual research projects in the first four years, with participation from over 120 corporate and scientific partners. Approximately half of the funding for InTribology comes from public federal resources granted by the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), as well as from funds provided by the states of Lower Austria and Vorarlberg.
The pioneering spirit of the AC²T tribologists for the future activities of the Excellence Centre should never “wear out”. Gratefully acknowledged should be the persons who and institutions which accompanied with interest and favour the business operation and further extension of the Center, thus “reducing friction”, especially the concerned staff members of the funding Ministries, and the responsible persons of the provincial government of Niederösterreich.
