ICT/&AI Hub Salzburg: IDA Lab Salzburg: When Research Makes a Difference in Practice
Date: 20.04.2026
Thematic focus: SME digitalisation and industrial processes
Companies possess extensive data but often do not fully leverage its potential. This is precisely where the IDA Lab Salzburg (Lab for Intelligent Data Analytics) comes in: as a competence center for data science, statistics, and artificial intelligence, it brings together research and industry and turns vast amounts of data into real business value.
What this means in practice is demonstrated by the collaboration with COPA-DATA GmbH in Salzburg, which has been ongoing for several years: application-oriented research enables the data-driven optimization of industrial energy systems and has been shown to reduce both energy consumption and costs. In addition, within the framework of contract research, the IDA Lab develops customized AI solutions - for example for quality control in manufacturing, tourism forecasting, and medical data analysis.
For a business location such as Salzburg, this goes far beyond basic research: it strengthens the innovative capacity of local companies, creates highly qualified jobs, and increases the region’s visibility as a research location. The IDA Lab is based at the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg and is funded by the Government of Salzburg within the framework of the Science and Innovation Strategies (WISS) 2025 and 2030. In cooperation with the Paracelsus Medical Private University, Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, and Salzburg Research, it pools key expertise in the fields of data science and AI.
The establishment of the lab was supported by the ICT/AI Hub of Innovation Salzburg. To this day, the IDA Lab is also part of the Digital Innovation Hub West (DIH West), a crossregional contact point for Vorarlberg, Tyrol, and Salzburg that supports companies in introducing digital technologies and AI solutions.
Further information
• IDA LAB Salzburg
• Digitalisierung in Salzburg / Innovation Salzburg
Contact
Innovation Salzburg
info@innovation-salzburg.at
+43 5 7599 722