Beyond funding, there have been improvements in doctoral education through initiatives providing incentives for universities to implement structured PhD programmes that are seen to play an important role in raising the quality of research as well as attractiveness for domestic talent and talent from abroad. While progress has been made towards higher quality and excellence in Austrian science, expectations have not been met across the board. Considering the experience had in a number of countries, both the RFTE and the Austrian Science Board have recently published recommendations in support of an Austrian excellence initiative.