From the 1970s and beyond, the extramural sector of sociological research expanded and became a relevant factor in the 1990s when Austria joined the European Union. Te European Framework Programmes supported over the next two decades these applied social research institutes whereas the university department shrunk from this new option for international collaborations. Both the extramural sector and the so-called scientific infrastructure for social research receded when an austerity policy was imposed by the Austrian government.