Building Resilience to Shocks and Crises: A 22.8 Million Euro Budget for the COMET Competence Centre at Lakeside Labs and the University of Klagenfurt
Strengthening resilience against shocks and crises is a key strategic goal for Europe. Technological sovereignty and a reliable energy supply are decisive factors in withstanding geopolitical tensions and economic pressures, thereby securing freedom, competitiveness, and sustainability for the people of Europe. By funding the competence centre ‘Autonomic Resilience in Dynamic Networked Systems’ (ARC for short), the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) is laying the foundation for a leading centre for collaborative research and the innovation of resilient systems. Because COMET centres are designed to run for eight years, this opens up the prospect for the long-term development of excellence and sustainable innovation. This initiative will create 30 highly skilled jobs at Lakeside Labs and the University of Klagenfurt. The largest partner is the University of Klagenfurt, which co-owns Lakeside Labs alongside BABEG.
The overarching vision for the competence centre is a future of systems, such as energy grids and production plants, that are resilient to disruptions and shocks through autonomous protection and recovery mechanisms. Concurrently, a human-in-the-loop approach will be pursued, ensuring that essential decisions are made by humans. “In ARC, fundamental research and applied research will be closely linked: We are advancing the scientific development of resilience technologies and resilience management, while simultaneously developing solutions for specific challenges faced by the participating companies to strengthen their competitiveness,” explains Christian Bettstetter, Scientific Director of Lakeside Labs and professor at the Department of Networked and Embedded Systems at the University of Klagenfurt.
Lakeside Labs and various research areas at the University of Klagenfurt can build upon extensive experience. Claudia Prüggler, Managing Director of Lakeside Labs, elaborates: “By utilising swarm intelligence and AI-based recommendation systems, we are pursuing new approaches to resilience research. Furthermore, we connect resilience in technology with organisations, and investigate the balance between autonomous and human decision-making.”
The centre will be based at Lakeside Labs, an organisation with a proven track record in applied research and 17 years of experience in managing funded projects. The corporate consortium comprises 18 small, medium, and large partners, with a primary focus on energy supply and industry. Leading infrastructure operators, manufacturing companies, system integrators, and technology solution providers contribute resources and extensive expertise to the collaborative research. The scientific consortium is primarily anchored at the University of Klagenfurt. Alongside the Scientific Director Christian Bettstetter, the project involves Wilfried Elmenreich, Michaela Hitz, Dietmar Jannach, Stephan Leitner, Bernhard Rinner, and Friederike Wall from a range of academic disciplines. Further national partners are located in Vienna and Graz, complemented by internationally renowned scientists from Dresden, Zurich, and Freiburg.
Ada Pellert, Rector of the University of Klagenfurt, emphasises the significance of the centre for the university: “Receiving the funding approval for the COMET Competence Centre ARC is a magnificent success for Carinthia as a research location. It is a powerful validation of the scientific excellence of the University of Klagenfurt and Lakeside Labs, which we operate jointly with BABEG. In terms of content, this project demonstrates that our local researchers are actively addressing current challenges: Autonomous, resilient systems that can withstand shocks and crises are key technologies for the future of Europe. The researchers in the competence centre can build upon comprehensive preliminary work, thereby creating the scientific foundation for successful solutions.”
“The fact that Carinthia’s bid was successful is fantastic and sets a clear direction. The research conducted here is unique across Europe and possesses immense future potential. The centre makes Carinthia a pioneer in the field of high technology and research,” stated a delighted State Governor Daniel Fellner, who holds the regional portfolio for technology, during a press conference on 11 June 2026 at Lakeside Labs. “In the future, resilience will determine how well we can handle crises, natural events, or technological challenges. The fact that Carinthia is playing a leading role here sends a strong signal,” the Governor emphasised.
Markus Hornböck, managing director of BABEG | Success in Carinthia – the organisation that is the majority shareholder of Lakeside Labs – describes the decision as a milestone for the region: “The approval of the COMET centre is a milestone for Carinthia as a location for business, research, and innovation. The strong commitment of the industry is particularly pleasing, as companies already pledged the required corporate financial contributions during the submission process. This demonstrates great trust in the research and innovation capacity of Carinthia.”
The COMET Competence Centre ‘Autonomic Resilience in Dynamic Networked Systems’ will commence operations in January 2027.
