High-level meeting on 15 February 2006 at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna
An Austrian waterway operator, via donau considers it one of its main tasks to acquire, generate and enhance expertise on Danube navigation as well as to spread such know-how to both partners and the general public.

In order to ensure active know-how transfer, via donau offers internships for students at universities of applied sciences each year as well as tutors master's theses and doctoral theses. In addition, it offers traineeships to students from Central and Eastern Europe who can thus gather several months of on-hand experience in the company.

Through the publication of manuals, via donau manages to significantly contribute to the dissemination of knowledge on Danube navigation with the second edition of the Manual on Danube Navigation which came out in 2005 constituting a comprehensive work of reference on all issues relating to the topic. The manual not only focuses on recent national and international developments in shipping and waterway transport but also offers in-depth insights into the Danube navigation system.

via donau, however, not only uses traditional educational channels but also provides INeS, a state-of-the-art e-learning tool for pupils, students, forwarders and trainees designed to introduce them to the topic of inland navigation.