Soon 16.2 billion euros for Austria's universities: What plans are there?

Soon 16.2 billion euros for Austria's universities: What plans are there?

The Austrian universities are faced with a financial upswing: In the next three years, they will receive a total of 16.2 billion euros about the new performance agreements that represent the heart of university financing. As already reported in the vienna.at , these are public contracts between the universities and the federal government that have been in force since 2007. This budget represents an increase of 31.7 percent compared to the previous period and should not only bring the universities financial stability, but also serve to compensate for the past price increases that have not been fully covered.

financing details and goals

The budget increases vary slightly between the institutions: While the Danube University Krems stands out with an impressive plus of 58 percent, the University of Vienna, the largest university, is 2.2 billion euros and an increase of almost 29 percent. Minister of Education Martin Polaschek and Brigitte Hütter, the President of the university conference, described the agreements as a solid basis, in particular with regard to planning security for the universities. The service agreements also oblige the universities to perform specifically; If these are not achieved, funds can be retained, as can be experienced in the report by orf.at

important changes in the university system

A central goal of the new agreements is a decline in precarious employment among young scientists. By 2027, many fixed -term contracts are to be set up, which makes it easier for postdocs to get into a secure position. It is also sought that two thirds of the studies are operated in an examination, which means that the students achieve at least 16 ECTS points a year. Another goal is to expand the places in the medical start-up courses, whereby the number is to be increased to 2,000 by 2028. These measures aim to further improve the quality and efficiency of the Austrian education system.