Paving the way towards the Universities of the Future
Date & Time: 28. April 2026 | 14:30 - 19:30 Uhr
Location: MQ – MuseumsQuartier Wien Ovalhalle, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Wien
Organised by:
E³UDRES², USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten
EURECA-PRO und der Montanuniversität Leoben
- News
With EURECA-PRO (Montanuniversität Leoben) and E³UDRES² (USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten), two European Universities are currently being led by Austrian institutions. A further 18 universities/universities of applied sciences are participating in European Universities. Austria is therefore comparatively strongly represented in the European Universities Initiative.
The programme of the Austrian federal government stipulates that sustainable participation of Austrian universities and universities of applied sciences in the “European Universities Initiative” should be promoted, and that development options towards genuine European universities should be examined in order to strengthen Austria’s higher education institutions in the European context. Naturally, the Higher Education Strategy 2040, which is currently being developed on behalf of Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner with broad involvement of all relevant stakeholders, should not only benefit from previous results and experience of the European Universities, but also contribute to their further development.
Looking ahead
The expectations of all stakeholders are high: European Universities are intended to provide momentum for innovative teaching, accelerate the future-oriented transformation of higher education institutions, increase the global competitiveness of the European Higher Education Area, strengthen diversity and resilience, enhance research and innovation capacities, close skills gaps, and improve the employability of graduates, among many other objectives.
More than six years after the launch of the first European Universities, an interim assessment is being carried out from an Austrian perspective:
- What concrete results are already available?
- Which goals were explicitly pursued, and to what extent have they been achieved so far?
- What effects do participation in European Universities have on Austrian universities and universities of applied sciences?
- What impacts can already be observed for the Austrian higher education sector as a whole? Are European Universities already unfolding their full potential?
- How can they be strengthened and further developed?
- What should a long-term vision from Austria’s perspective look like?
Registration deadline: 27.04.2026 | 15:00 CET
For more information about the event: download Flyer!
Programme
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14:30 | United Campuses of Europe!
Meeting and exchange with European University alliances with Austrian participation -
16:15 | Official Welcome
Rektor Peter Moser (Montanuniversität Leoben, EURECA-PRO)
Geschäftsführer Hannes Raffaseder (USTP, E³UDRES²) -
16:30 | Keynote speeches
Potentials & challenges of European Universities as drivers of innovation for the universities of the future
➝ Susanne Conze (Europäische Kommission, DG EAC)
➝ Sektionschef Elmar Pichl (BMFWF)
➝ Oliver Vettori (WU Wien, ENGAGE.EU) -
17:30 | Welcome remarks
➝ Bundesministerin Eva-Maria Holzleitner (Bundesministerium für Frauen, Wissenschaft und Forschung) -
17:45 | Podiums discussion
European Universities als Innovationstreiber für Future Universities?
Learned Lessons, aktuelle Strategien, Potenziale für die Weiterentwicklung als Input für die Hochschulstrategie 2024European Universities as drivers of innovation for future universities?
Lessons learned, current strategies, and potential for further development as input for the Higher Education Strategy 2024
➝ Susanne Feiel (Montanuniversität Leoben, EURECA-PRO)
➝ Gabriele Permoser (USTP, E³UDRES²)
➝ Thomas Baumgartner (Universität Innsbruck, AURORA)
➝ Julia Marinaccio (FH Kärnten, ACE2-EU)
➝ Elisa Kreuzeder (Studierenden-Vertreterin, TU Wien, EULiST)
Moderation: Michael Köttritsch (Die Presse) -
19:00 | Get Together / Meet & Greet
United Campuses of Europe!?
Meeting and exchange with European University alliances with Austrian participation - 19:30 | End
