Strengthening environmentally friendly and safe modes of transport, such as inland waterway transport, is one of the key objectives of the European and Austrian transport policy. This policy is reflected in a number of corresponding funding programmes.

Fleet modernising, new transhipment equipment or integrating inland navigation into transport chains - viadonau advises and supports shipping companies, ports, logistics service providers and the manufacturing industry in obtaining financial support for their inland waterway transport projects.

The most important programmes at a glance:

  • The Förderprogramm klima- und umweltfreundliche Schifffahrt 2022 – 2026 (only in German available) aims at investments into emission-reduction and energy efficient technologies and measures in inland navigation as well as at measures for shifting goods to the waterway
  • The Investitionsförderprogramm kombinierter Güterverkehr (only in German available) supports the development of the combined transport (modal shift towards environmentally friendly modes of transport).
  • The Logistikförderung 2019 – 2023 of the BMK supports the development and implementation of innovative logistics concepts under the participation of the public sector for the enhancement of the competitiveness of the logistics sector and the attractiveness of locations as well as for the securing of social and ecologic sustainability.

An overview of available funding schemes for inland waterway transport is available in the European Online Database. Suitable funding schemes for research and innovation projects are available in the Förderkompass research support database (available only in German).