It serves to create competence centers for various topics at selected locations.
The COMET program stimulates academic scientists and industrial researchers and developers to work together on strategic and translational research projects, closer to industry than university groups would typically work on, however concentrating on prototype research and not on products ready for the market.
[1] In 2006 the program was restructured and put in the hands of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency FFG under the new name COMET.
[4] The centers receive about 50% of their budget from the funding, and the other 50% have to be acquired from companies.
[5] The difference between K2, K1 and K is in size, budget, funding duration and international cooperation.