Linz 'Medical Faculty: A successful model needs more money!

Linz 'Medical Faculty: A successful model needs more money!

The medical faculty of the Johannes Kepler University (JKU) in Linz showed in a current press conference that it needs more financial means to raise its research to a higher level. Univ.-Prof. Guido Adler, former medical director of the Heidelberg University Hospital, confirmed the positive development of the faculty, which is now looking back on a successful decade. Despite all progress, however, it is clear that additional resources are required to ensure research, as the evaluation commission has noted. This commission, which was the eagle chairman, took a close look at the faculty as part of its tenth anniversary.

The JKU Medfak is currently processing 1,773 students with 320 available study places. Compared to other universities, however, the faculty only receives around 57 million euros for the financing period 2022 to 2024 - significantly less in contrast to Graz and Innsbruck, which receive 255 and 230 million euros with similar number of students. Elgin DRDA, Vice Rector of Medicine, emphasizes that the JKU Medfak only receives 5 percent of the budget while developing 18 percent of all medical students in Austria. A new financing concept will be prepared to start negotiations for the next period in 2026. The health officer Christine Haberlander made it clear that the federal government is now required to support the further development of the faculty, while the country continues to guarantee medical care.

research and teaching at the Kepler University Hospital

The Kepler University Hospital and the JKU medical faculty are closely fulfilling their tasks in medical training and research. More than 40 percent of the doctors who are scientific in Upper Austria are currently working on this cooperation. Every year, the faculty gains new knowledge in areas such as clinical age research and medical technology. In the past semesters, the contributions of the clinic staff prevailed at courses as well as at Bachelor and master's theses. This synergy between teaching and research is intended to make it easier for prospective doctors to start their professional career and at the same time ensure medical care at the highest level, according to the Kepler University Hospital.

The decade positively points to the cooperation path that the JKU Medfak and the Kepler University Hospital have taken, but also contains challenges. In order to position yourself nationally and internationally, the desired positions for additional professorships and innovative research approaches are essential, as the evaluation commission noted. These factors could be crucial to ensure the complete development of the faculty and the clinic, as well as Kepleruniklinikum.at reported.