In December 2002, the City of Vienna confirmed that it would financially support the project with a sum to match that to be provided by the Republic of Austria.

The preliminary phase in 2010 and 2011 is to see the groundwork being laid for a specialized scholarly library and an institute-affiliated archive (based on the Holocaust-relevant documents of the IKG archive)[1] as well as the design and trial of various forms of public events – such as lectures, book presentations, conferences and workshops as well as public media interventions in remembrance of the Shoah.

Following a dispute on the permission for use of the archive of the Jewish Community Vienna, the Institute of Conflict Research and the IFK left the supporting body in November 2009, their representatives also resigning from their posts in the VWI board of directors.

The development of the institute and preparation for full operation was continued on the basis of the step-by-step plan as agreed on in the founding phase.

In November 2009, after a dispute on the proper usage of the archives of the IKG (intended to become a part of the holdings of the VWI), several members of the board and the managing director resigned.

As of October 2012, sociologist Éva Kovács from the Centre of Social Studies at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences became the institute's Research Programme Director.

As of January 2020, the members of the board are as follows (in alphabetical order): The activities of the VWI fall into the three categories research, documentation and education.

Since November 2010, VWI is a member in the consortium for the EU project European Holocaust Research Infrastructure – EHRI which entered in its second phase – EHRI-2 – in the end of 2014.

The aim of the documentation project of the VWI is to unite thematically relevant but hitherto separated archival materials, ensure their safekeeping and make them accessible to search tools.

Decision on grants is made by a sub-commission of the academic advisory board and a research staff member of the VWI in the spring of each year.

– went online, publishing the peer-reviewed manuscripts of the Simon Wiesenthal Lectures, the Working Papers of the fellows and articles selected by the Editorial Committee.

VWI's bilingual – German and English – book series is edited by the Viennese publishing house new academic press.

To achieve its aims of education, the VWI organises events such as book presentations, media and/or arts interventions in the public space in remembrance of the Shoah.