Mission Statement
Shaping social innovation
Social innovation emerges in “multi-rational” spaces in-between, where many different, public, private and civil stakeholders interact on all scales. It is precisely the vehemence in which similarities are extolled and contradictions are stressed, which shows us to what extent everyone is linked to everyone else and with everything around.
A “hinge” for different interests and system solutions
We see our role as “hinges” to make these manifold bonds vibrant and fruitful. In our work with organisations and cooperation systems, we mind the delicate balance between hierarchy and partnership by keeping a holistic view on territorial and sectoral issues, knowing that system solutions become increasingly important for our customers, who want, by virtue of pursuing their own interests, to contribute to common well-being.
Focus on impact
Knowing about the limits of our planet’s carrying capacity, we understand the importance of social and society change. Impact-orientated action means to keep acting in ways that are mindful and targeted, building on the power of both self-organisation and reason, monitoring and therefore being able to adapt our actions.
The kind of solutions we seek depends on our own ambitions regarding the quality of our services, the inner compass of values guiding all of our actions.
Contribution to sustainability
We want to make a real contribution to the changes outlined in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, called Agenda 2030. Change starts with people interacting in a certain place at a certain time.
Innovative methods and processes
Together with our customers and partners, we create laboratory formats to test new methods and processes all the way down to their wide application and use in the real world. Breaking new ground together with our customers we keep looking for the ones who are ready to do so – as one thing is clear: new solutions require new avenues.
This is what we promise to our customers and partners. With all our business and process expertise, passion and mindfulness.
41 Years of ÖAR
1983 – Foundation of the Non-Governmental Organisation Austrian Working Group for Endogenous Regional Development (ÖAR)
1988 – Foundation of the ÖAR-Regionalberatung GmbH as a subsidiary firm of the ÖAR association.
1997 – The ÖAR-Regionalberatung GmbH is re-organised as a company held by independent consultants in equal shares while the association is dissolved.
2017 – Renamed into ÖAR GmbH, the consulting firm is owned by 17 consultants, working for clients in Austria, Europe and world-wide. We operate on contracts with governments, regional development organisations, public administrations, private businesses, intermediary agencies, universities and the non-profit sector amounting to approximately 130 projects per year.
Cooperations
Being a cooperation system of independent consultants, we are always looking forward to working together with other partners.
Thank you very much for the inspiring and fruitful collaboration!
