News

The Language of Love: Even in the Middle Ages, plants and fruits symbolised sexual desire

Mild Research Night: Around 750 visitors travelled around the world at the university

Lovely weather and a wide range of research topics drew visitors to the University of Graz last Friday. Highlights included a journey around the globe in eight stops, a ‘speed-dating’ session with books, insights into Alfred Wegener’s Greenland expedition, and guided tours of the democracy exhibition at the UniGraz@Museum.

Career Booster: How the Research Careers Campus supports researchers

They are innovative, creative and productive – researchers who have not yet been appointed to a professorship make a massive contribution to a university’s research output. To provide them with even better support on their career path, the University of Graz has established the Research Careers Campus. The official launch took place on 22 April 2026 with a ‘festival’.

Greenery on the rise: over 500 new flowers, perennials and shrubs on campus

Bright blooms and fresh greenery make our hearts beat faster in spring. But it is not just us humans who delight in this colourful growth. For many animals, this splendour provides, above all, food and habitat. There has recently been an increase in this on the University of Graz campus. More than 500 native flowers, perennials and shrubs have been planted on strips of fallow land around Universitätsplatz 2.

Building biological bridges: Chemist discovers an ecological tool for the pharmaceutical industry

Building a relationship on a solid foundation is also important in chemistry. To produce medicines, disinfectants or plant protection products, stable bonds between carbon atoms must be formed. Conventional chemical methods rely on environmentally harmful reagents and solvents to carry out the desired reaction. This process also produces unusable by-products. Chemist Lilla Gal has discovered an enzyme that enables the same process to take place efficiently and sustainably. The results of her research were recently published in the prestigious journal Angewandte Chemie.

Higher Education Strategy 2040: Austria’s universities on course for the future

Austria has 77 higher education institutions, which is above the EU average – but does this really make sense? The new Higher Education Strategy 2040 focuses on cooperation rather than mergers. As one of the six largest universities in Austria, the University of Graz plays a central role in this.

Climate research in Greenland: Old data provides new insights

The polar explorer and University of Graz professor Alfred Wegener left behind a unique collection of climate data from Greenland. A research team from the University of Graz is now analysing this 100-year-old treasure trove of data and comparing it with current measurements.

Diversity in nature and science: How we talk about plants and each other

Ginkgo, kiwi, hemp: they exist as male and female plants. Anyone who paid attention in biology class will confirm this. But is this categorisation, established by Carl von Linné almost 300 years ago, still valid today? An interdisciplinary team at the University of Graz is questioning these attributions and using this as a starting point to provide food for thought for gender-sensitive interaction between students, scientific and teaching staff.