Abstract
This paper considers the importance of natural science in South Tyrol in its historical development and current status through analysis of the scientific output based on the Web of Science database combined with the views of 3 experts, with a deep insight into the research landscape of South Tyrol.
The results of the bibliometric analysis reveals that the scientific output has increased exponentially in the last 30 years, mainly due to the development of research institutions. South Tyrol’s scientific research is highly internationally visible and acquires many international grants. Moreover, local, and regional interdisciplinary cooperation on important topics allows for greater efficiency and exploits synergies. In conclusion, scientific research in South Tyrol although still young, is a success story. The establishment of Eurac Research and the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano were necessary steps towards this in addition to the solid international networking of researchers and support from competitive research funds.