Unclear about Linz Digital University: Mayor election as a turning point?

Unclear about Linz Digital University: Mayor election as a turning point?

The planned digital university in Linz, also known as IT: U, is under considerable pressure. The location right next to the Johannes Kepler University (JKU) was rejected due to environmental concerns by Vice Mayor Dietmar Prammer, which puts the project on the waiting list. Minister of Education Martin Polask from the ÖVP, however, demands that clarity about the new location will be created in the first quarter of 2025, since no alternatives have yet been examined, as the parliamentary request from Neos MP Martina Künsberg Sarre emerged. The ministry statement clearly says: Another location outside of Linz is not considered suitable.

High costs threaten

The situation could be expensive for the city of Linz and the state of Upper Austria. If a new location is found, significant costs for the city and the country could incur because the synergies would be lost to the JKU. In addition, a new financing agreement with the federal government could be necessary and the costs of the architecture competition already held could possibly fall back to the city. So far, around 24 million euros have already been planned to plan the IT: u, and there are already eleven founding professorships.

A floating topic is also the Brucknerhaus affair, in which the dismissed artistic director is suing for damages of around three million euros. The first hearing takes place at the end of January. At the same time, the application deadline for the new double leadership of the event company Liva, which is responsible for the Brucknerhaus, runs, and it remains to be seen which decisions of the new mayors will make after the election on January 12. Until then, clarity about the digital university remains a hot topic, as Georg Redlhammer from the Neos faction emphasizes: "Emotions out, facts on the table and solutions," said his demand for clear decisions.

It remains exciting how the situation around the digital university will develop because the pressure on the decision-makers increases. The economic and political framework could be crucial for the future of educational infrastructure in the country. Details on the planned digital university were from ORF Upper Austria and My district comprehensively presented.