Outdoor Drone Space Austria: Klagenfurt Expands Its DroneTech Ecosystem with a Global-Scale Outdoor Research Arena

Klagenfurt is sending a clear message to the international innovation and investment community:
Advanced drone technologies find ideal conditions to grow here.

With the Outdoor Drone Space Austria (ODSA) nearing completion, the University of Klagenfurt and the Lakeside Science & Technology Park are jointly creating one of the largest and most sophisticated outdoor drone research infrastructures worldwide – a powerful new asset for DroneTech startups, scale-ups, established companies and research-driven investors.

Covering 1,000 square meters (20 x 50 m) and supported by 14 steel columns, each 15 meters high, the outdoor arena complements the existing indoor drone hall and enables a seamless transition from laboratory testing to real-world validation.

From Research Excellence to Market-Ready Solutions

The ODSA was designed to support the full innovation cycle – from fundamental research to applied development and industrial use cases.
Drones can be tested under real environmental conditions, including wind, heat, cold, fog and GPS-degraded environments, generating reliable data for robust, autonomous systems.

A high-precision motion capture system by Qualisys provides ground-truth tracking of autonomous flight behavior, allowing companies and research teams to validate algorithms, certify performance and accelerate time-to-market.

“Many of our application scenarios take place outdoors – in forests, disaster zones or industrial environments. With this outdoor infrastructure, we can now test autonomous systems exactly where they are meant to operate,”
says Stephan Weiss, Head of the Control of Networked Systems research group and initiator of the arena.

The arena site also includes two fully equipped technical containers, offering workspace, power supply and on-site infrastructure for development teams and industry partners.

A Platform for Startups, Corporates and Investors

Implemented by the Lakeside Science & Technology Park, the ODSA is embedded in a dynamic ecosystem where research, entrepreneurship and industry collaborate closely.

“Our ambition is to provide excellent research with the space it needs to create innovations with international impact – and to offer companies an environment where future technologies can be developed, tested and scaled,”
explains Bernhard Lamprecht, Managing Director of Lakeside Park.

For DroneTech startups, the ODSA offers:

• Access to world-class research infrastructure
• Collaboration with leading drone scientists
• A real-world test environment for rapid prototyping

For established companies and system integrators, it provides:

• Validation and testing of advanced drone applications
• Joint R&D projects with academic excellence
• A gateway into a growing Central European DroneTech market

For investors and innovation-driven corporates, Klagenfurt offers:

• A concentrated drone research hub with proven application fields
• Strong public funding structures (national & EU-level)
• A location designed to scale deep-tech innovation

Proven Expertise, Real-World Impact

Drone research at the University of Klagenfurt has been ongoing since 2008, with a strong focus on autonomous multi-drone systems inspired by swarm intelligence. The goal: drones that coordinate, navigate and exchange data without centralized control – even in GPS-denied environments.

Applications developed in Klagenfurt are already being used in:

• Search & rescue operations
• Industrial inspection and maintenance
• Maritime and logistics environments
• Forestry and environmental monitoring
• Analog space missions under Mars-like conditions

These activities are bundled within Dronehub Klagenfurt, uniting four leading research groups:

• Control of Networked Systems
• Mobile Systems
• Pervasive Computing
• Multimedia Communication

Join the DroneTech Future in Klagenfurt

With the Outdoor Drone Space Austria, Klagenfurt offers more than infrastructure – it offers partnerships, talent, funding access and a clear commitment to future technologies.

DroneTech startups, established companies and investors are invited to become part of this growing ecosystem.

Interested in cooperation, R&D partnerships or establishing a presence in Klagenfurt?
Get in touch and explore your opportunities at one of Europe’s most dynamic drone innovation locations: invest@klagenfurt.at !