The year 2023 was a step into an innovative future for the University of Graz: Thanks to the cutting-edge science of Leonhard Grill, Markus Hafner, Katalin Barta Weissert and Bernhard Bauer, a total of eight million euros in ERC research funding was secured. This is a record for the University of Graz and strengthens the research location! After the University of Graz successfully fended off the cyberattack, experts trained staff on the latest digital security standards at the Security Day in May.
June brought worldwide recognition for the University of Graz's special collections: Theresa Zammit Lupi discovered the Graz Mummy Book, the oldest book fragment in codex form, which is 400 years older than previously known books and rewrites the history of the book. According to a media survey, the coverage of the story reached over 73 million people worldwide!
Commitment to sustainability and climate neutrality
Since August 2023 the University of Graz's Carbon Tracer has been able to reliably calculate the greenhouse gas emissions of travel according to the latest scientific standards. Additional tree planting and a biodiversity project will make the University of Graz campus even greener on the way to true climate neutrality by 2040. An oral vaccine for bees, developed by a research team led by biologist Dalial Freitak and launched on the market in 2023, is helping to protect biodiversity. This saves the insects from American foulbrood and made it into the top 200 inventions of the year in TIME Magazine!
Future projects and closer relationships
In 2023 the University of Graz website was completely redesigned with a modern look. With the generous support of Christian Palmers, the University of Graz built a house for Austria's polar research, the Sermilik research station in Greenland. Preparatory work also began on the new Graz Center of Physics. By the end of 2023, the former Center for Continuing Education and the former Dental Medicine will be almost gone. Many of the materials will be recycled for the construction of the GCP.
During the Welcome Weeks at the start of the semester, we welcomed over 4,000 first-year students to our campus and graduates were not forgotten either. On the first Alumni Day since 2015 former students returned to their alma mater in October. Over 500 graduates were given an update on what's new on campus and four in particular were honoured with the Alumni Awards. 70 exhibitors at the EXCELLENCE23 careers fair were looking for the best-qualified talent at the University of Graz. 3,000 visitors networked with potential employers of tomorrow. Remembrance also played an important role: With the 15 newly installed "Stumbling Stones", the University of Graz commemorated the students and lecturers who were persecuted under National Socialism.
With so much movement in an institution, it is impossible to cover everything in a review of the year. We thank you for being part of this university year - in whatever way - and look forward to continuing in the new year: We work for tomorrow!