About Us

Directors: Univ. Prof. Dr. Johannes Grillari, Prim. Priv.-Doz. Dr. Thomas Hausner

Our mission is to develop and advance diagnostic, therapeutic and regenerative research strategies to enable the full and sustained recovery of trauma patients.

To achieve this goal, our interdisciplinary scientific strategy merges basic biomedical, translational and clinical research. In addition, we integrate innovative precision medicine solutions into clinical practice.

The Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Traumatology, the research center in cooperation with AUVA (Austrian Workers’ Compensation Board), employs more than 80 scientists from a wide range of disciplines, including chemistry, biochemistry, biotechnology, medicine, physics, and medical and electrical engineering. This multidisciplinary team enables the institute to cover a broad spectrum of applied research.

The institute serves as a resource hub for all AUVA medical facilities and thus acts as an important point of contact for physicians with a scientific interest. In addition to training courses, seminars, and individual consultations, it also offers physicians the opportunity to actively participate in research through the AUVA rotation program.

The research facility maintains close collaborations with all AUVA trauma hospitals (located in Vienna, Klagenfurt, Salzburg, and Linz), as well as with the rehabilitation centers Weißer Hof in Klosterneuburg and Tobelbad near Graz. Furthermore, the institute fosters strong partnerships with numerous national and international hospitals, research institutions, and industry partners, ensuring continued international competitiveness.

The institute is also involved in the education and training of medical professionals and students (theses and doctoral work), and has supported several colleagues on their path to habilitation. Training is further enhanced through partnerships with institutions such as the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien (Bachelor’s program in Biomedical Engineering and Master’s program in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine), the Biomedical Engineering Master’s program at Technical University Vienna, the Medical University of Vienna’s Dr. med. sci./PhD program “Regeneration of Bone and Joint,” and programs at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU).

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History

The story of the AUVA Research Center for Traumatology began in 1973, when Dr. Wolfgang Krösl, then Medical Director of the Austrian Workers’ Compensation Board (AUVA), founded the AUVA Institute for Traumatology Research. Under the leadership of Professor Dr. Günther Schlag, the institute expanded in 1980 with the creation of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental and Clinical Traumatology.

Research activities and budget planning have since been reviewed regularly – annually by a supervisory board and every four years by the Ludwig Boltzmann Society, following international standards. In line with AUVA’s legal mandate to ensure continuous improvement in patient care, the organization remains the main supporter of the Research Center. Additional funding comes from industry collaborations and European Union projects. The integration of the non-profit organisation Trauma Care Consult in 1998 further strengthened industrial partnerships.

That same year, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Heinz Redl became head of the institute. Over the next two decades, he developed the Research Center into an internationally recognised institution where collaboration, interdisciplinarity, and translational research took centre stage. His commitment to cooperative science was exemplified by the co-founding of the Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration in 2006, which the institute continues to coordinate. In recognition of his innovative spirit, he was awarded the Wilhelm Exner Medal by the Austrian Tissue Association. Since passing the leadership to Prof. Dr. Johannes Grillari in 2019, he has remained active at the institute as a Senior Postdoc.

Based at the Lorenz Böhler Trauma Hospital in Vienna, the Research Center opened a branch in Linz in 2003 dedicated to isolating and studying human adult stem cells, in collaboration with the Blood Center of the Upper Austrian Red Cross. In 2021, the cooperation agreement with AUVA was renewed, and the institute adopted its current name: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Traumatology, The Research Center in Cooperation with AUVA.

The institute’s impact is reflected not only in its more than 1,800 scientific publications since 1980, but also in its role in organising major international conferences, including the Vienna Shock Forum, the Wiggers-Bernard Conferences, Shock Societies Conferences, International Fibrin Sealant Conferences, and the TERMIS World Congress 2012, as well as in the publication of books and book series. The Günther Schlag Award honours young scientists for innovative research in the field of trauma care.