The Earth System Sciences (ESS) research programme, led by the OeAW for the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, aims to research the earth as a system. Calls are published for funded research projects at the cutting edge of science. ESS thus seeks to fill gaps in the Austrian research landscape, for instance with regard to interdisciplinary projects, long-term research projects and pioneering research.

The main topics of the call are the sustainable development of Biosphere Reserves (BRs) and the further implementation of the LAP in Austrian BRs. UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BRs) are “living laboratories” for studying, testing and demonstrating integrated management of land, water, and biodiversity in a sound balance with human uses. BRs in particular have the double mandate of nature conservation and sustainable development and rely on integrated monitoring and sustainability assessments to be developed.
All topics, relevant for BRs and encouraging the transformation of BRs into sustainable model regions are welcomed.

Projects should:

- provide a knowledge-base for defining strategies towards sustainable development in BRs and evaluate achievements in this direction.
- be scientifically innovative, address interactions between multiple scales (including landscape and larger region), disciplines and with stakeholders, and/or provide advanced conceptual and/or methodological tools for potential uses in other BRs.
- Contribute to the daily management of BRs.
- Contribute to the implementation of the LAP in BRs.

Both science-driven and stakeholder-driven (problem-centred) research approaches are required. This was acknowledged by the Austrian MAB Committee in deciding upon the following principles for research:
1. interdisciplinarity among natural and social sciences. All research questions entail a focus on, or should at least be related to, the interaction of natural and socio-economic processes.
2. transdisciplinarity. MAB research takes local and regional stakeholders perspectives seriously and thus actively involves them in settling incongruences or even conflicts between conservation goals and human uses of the environment.
3. international and comparative orientation: Austrian MAB research is embedded into international research efforts, and uses parts of its resources for internationally comparative and or cooperative projects to promote learning through the systematic exchange of experiences. International cooperation projects and/or transfer of know-how between Austrian and other BRs are welcome.