WIFO is a member of the "Association of European Conjuncture Institutes" (AIECE), the "Centre for International Research on Economic Tendency Surveys" (CIRET),[3] and the "European Economic Research and Advisory Consortium" (ERECO) with partner institutions in Birmingham, Bologna, Cambridge, Madrid, Munich, Paris and Rotterdam.

Together with studies on European integration, competitiveness and location of industries and services, these trends and forecasts provide the basis for economic policies and corporate strategies.

[4] Research activities are bundled in the following five departments:[5] WIFO's activities include commissioned research and consulting for domestic and international decision-making bodies, the European Commission, the OECD, major business and financial institutions.

Funding is primarily obtained through membership fees paid by institutional entities, such as the Federal Ministry of Finance and the members of the Austrian social partnership.

The current director is Gabriel Felbermayr, who assumed the position on 1 October 2021, succeeding Christoph Badelt.