Following the change in the rectorates of all three TU Austria universities (TU Vienna, TU Graz, Montanuniversität Leoben), the Alliance elected a new board at the beginning of October. TU Graz Rector Horst Bischof will serve as President until the end of June 2024, TU Vienna Rector Jens Schneider and the Rector of Montanuniversität Leoben, Peter Moser, will serve as Vice Presidents. The three new Executive Committee members succeed a team that had previously steered the fortunes of TU Austria for twelve years in identical composition.
Sustainability and climate protection remain key topics
"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Sabine Seidler, Harald Kainz and Wilfried Eichlseder for their great work for TU Austria," says Horst Bischof. " Because of them, our alliance has gained a great deal of visibility and relevance, both nationally and internationally. The topics of sustainability and climate protection as well as industrial cooperation, which were pushed by the former rectors Sabine Seidler (Vienna University of Technology), Harald Kainz (Graz University of Technology) and Wilfried Eichlseder ( Montanuniversität Leoben), will continue to be the focus of TU Austria in the coming years. "Based on the successful development of the past years, we will also sharpen the profile of our alliance," says Horst Bischof. The new Executive Committee will be developing strategic priorities in the coming months.
Important input in higher education policy and innovation
During their time in office, Sabine Seidler, Harald Kainz and Wilfried Eichlseder succeeded in establishing TU Austria as an important player in Austria's research and innovation landscape. This is evident, among other things, in the University Policy Dialogue, which TU Austria organises together with the Federation of Austrian Industries and which has become a focal point for high-ranking representatives from business, research and politics. In recent years, TU Austria has also made important contributions to higher education policy, which is reflected in a large number of position papers and calls for action on research policy, student affairs and human resources. Internationally, TU Austria has built up a strong network through close exchange with TU9, the association of leading universities of technology in Germany, and 4TU in the Netherlands.
With initiatives such as the TU Austria Innovations Marathon for international students of all disciplines within the framework of the European Forum Alpbach or many activities to increase the proportion of women among students in technology and natural sciences, TU Austria also provides powerful stimuli for the promotion of young talents.
