In the academic year 1974/75, Univ.-Prof. Leopold Bauer conducted the first "Energy Economics Seminar" at TU Wien, which was documented in the conference proceedings "Current Issues in Energy Economics" (Series of TU Wien, Volume 5; sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Science and Research). In the following seminars, energy-related problems were to be addressed from both technical and economic perspectives, involving not only academia but also public authorities, industry, and the business sector. In coordination with Prof. Bauer, this series was continued at TU Graz by Hon.-Prof. Kurt Friedrich, with a special emphasis on the concept of innovation in the spirit of Schumpeter: innovation as the transformation of inventions into marketable products. These energy innovation symposia also developed into important networking events for the industry. Subsequently, Friedrich reached an agreement with the Institute for Energy Economics at TU Wien to continue this series alternately every two years at TU Graz and TU Wien as:
Following the original goals, the Institute of Electricity Economics and Energy Innovation at TU Graz, initiated by Prof. Friedrich, organizes the Energy Innovation Symposia together with the stakeholder associations Austrian Electrotechnical Association (OVE), oesterreichs energie, and the Austrian National Committee of the World Energy Council (WEC), with the kind support of the relevant federal ministries, the province of Styria, the city of Graz, and industry representatives.
It is precisely this support that makes the symposium “affordable” for (especially younger) researchers, students, and others, considering the often prohibitive costs of comparable events. For this, we express our heartfelt thanks! Our gratitude also extends to the more than 100 other contributors whose dedicated involvement makes the high quality of this event possible.
