As of July 1, 2022, researchers at Austrian research institutions can apply to obtain (fee-based) access to microdata from Statistik Austria. The new contact point is the Austrian Micro Data Center, opens an external URL in a new window. TU Wien is accredited as a scientific institution.

FAQ on the use of the AMDC

The AMDC is the new Austrian Microdata Center of Statistik Austria. It offers data protection-compliant access to microdata. The data remain at Statistik Austria, and only a virtual desktop infrastructure is provided for research projects.

Not only data of Statistik Austria can be researched via the AMDC, but also other administrative and register data - provided that these are released for use in the AMDC by the respective department.

The online tool Microdata Catalogue, opens an external URL in a new window provides information on the microdata sets currently available in the AMDC and the variables they contain. In the first stage of expansion, numerous microdata available at Statistik Austria are documented, e.g. on the topics education, health, tax and business statistics.

The catalogue will be expanded on an ongoing basis. Towards the end of 2022, the first microdata of the federal administration will also be offered. Furthermore, fully anonymized microdata (scientific use files) or the Safe Center for Microdata Research established at Statistik Austria are to be integrated into the AMDC.

TU Wien is registered as an institution at the AMDC, thus TU Wien researchers with a valid employment contract have the possibility to get a secured online access (remote access) for a fee. Please note that the project leader should submit the corresponding research application.

Application procedure:

  1. The project leader performs a registration for the AMDC application: https://www.statistik.at/amdc-registration/#/registration  
  2. Subsequently, the application for the research project can be submitted. Please note:
    • For research projects, each participating researcher must sign technical-organizational measures (TOMs or this form). 
    • As part of the application, proof of a valid employment relationship is required by uploading a confirmation of employment (Arbeitsbestätigung). Such confirmation can be requested via the Service Unit of HR administration. 
    • With their signature, each participating researcher agrees to 
      • access the AMDC only via equipment centrally maintained by TU.it. 
      • If the researcher does not have a centrally maintained work device, he/she must 
        • either clarify with the respective IT contact person that the work device meets the criteria set out in the TOM ("Endgerät für den Zugang") 
        • or order a TUnoteBook or a TUdeskTop via IT Solutions.
  3. If the research project is accepted by Statistik Austria (feedback should be received within one month), the latter will prepare an offer, which will be approved by the project leader. 
    • The offer consists of a binding part for the start of the project and a non-binding part as a cost estimate for the project phase. 
    • Details on costs can be found in the AMDC's current catalogue of services (Katalog der Serviceleistungen).
  4. On the basis of the offer accepted by TU Wien and Statistik Austria, a contract is drawn up. This has to be signed by the Vice Rector Research, Innovation and International Affairs. 
  5. Each project member receives (fee based) access via a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) with the VMware Horizon Client software. In addition, access is secured by two-factor authentication. Shortly before the start of the research project, all employees receive technical training (onboarding appointment) from Statistik Austria.

No, the data do not leave Statistik Austria. They are available to the persons involved in the research project in a so-called Remote Research Environment of Statistik Austria for a limited period of time. Before the results are published by the researchers, Statistik Austria is required to carry out a mandatory check of these results to ensure that they do not violate data protection laws.

Complete research applications must present the purposes and intended goals and justify why microdata are needed for them. In order to comply with the data minimization principle, only those microdata are provided for online access that are absolutely necessary to answer the research questions formulated in advance. If all requirements are met, only the persons named in the research project will be granted online access to these microdata.