The CEST (Centre for Electrochemical Surface Technology) is Austria’s competence center for applied electrochemistry and surface technology and was founded in 2008. Organized as a limited liability company (GesmbH), it is a research institute founded jointly by industry and science within the Austrian COMET scheme.
Our Vision/Mission:
Develop and disseminate electrochemical and surface know-how – To support the economy and society
The main focus is on material science issues relating to interfaces in the areas of corrosion, functional surfaces and applications of electrochemistry in energy technology, (bio)sensor technology and production. In addition, we try to combine new topics such as machine learning and IoT with our classical knowledge of chemistry. We want to bring top-class research from the laboratory to industry and thus improve the competitiveness of Austrian and European industry.
The centre is based on two major pillars: research for and with companies and the provision of services on the open market. To implement the research, we are part of the COMET programme of the FFG, where we work together with well-known companies on research issues of industrial relevance. We are also partners in national and European research projects. At the same time, CEST acts as a service provider by carrying out certified measurements or supporting companies with upscaling.
Networking with other research partners is also very important to us. In addition to the major universities in Austria, we also have good national and European networks with a large number of other institutions. Therefore, we have access to a large pool of know-how carriers in our projects and can therefore provide the best possible service. We are particularly proud of our network in Central Europe.
The centre has three locations, Wiener Neustadt, Linz and Tulln. Wiener Neustadt functions as the headquarters here and is the oldest of the three locations. The centre employs around 50 colleagues, of whom over 90% are scientists or technicians.
An important part of our work is also the training of a new generation of scientists and engineers. For this reason, we regularly accept PhD and diploma students who work on projects together with the permanent staff. As CEST, we try to be an excellent place for our young colleagues where they can develop themselves and establish contacts in industry and science.
As an employer, equal opportunities for all employees are also very important to us. We are particularly proud that, despite our industry, we have a very balanced gender ratio among our employees. We are convinced that diversity is a great advantage, especially in science as a creative industry.
As a centre, we also like that other watch and judge our work – which is why we have decided to do this publicly. We are always working to have ourselves assessed by recognised bodies in our work. This gives us the assurance that we are doing the right thing and you, the customer, the assurance that you can rely on our data.
