Mission Statement

Basic and applied research belong to our excellences, based on the foundations of scientific and ethical integrity. We foster topical and methodological variety within an international cooperation network. We build our profile by determining research focuses under the consideration of socially relevant research questions.
Innovative interdisciplinary research and cooperation are amongst the subjects especially encouraged.

We involve our students in research in the context of research-based teaching. We cooperate with excellent European and non-European universities and participate in important networks. We actively provide our knowledge and the results generated through research to society.

At our university, students are trained to become autonomous and, as graduates with great technical and social skills, to acquire interdisciplinary and critical thinking. Teaching has the same value as research and is developed according to high quality standards. Research-based teaching allows for the needs of students and requirements of science, society and business. Innovative and interdisciplinary teaching plays a similarly important role as does student counselling and comprehensive education of students. We acknowledge that students must take responsibility for their own learning processes and we support the principle of active participation in the further development of teaching. We encourage students’ mobility by providing international mobility and mutual study programmes.

We regard ourselves as being a both nationally and internationally sought-after partner for young scientists. Our doctoral students and postdocs work in a research group network and acquire thorough preparation for successful careers as scientists in a global context. We support young scientists by providing special training and mobility programmes as well as networking and cooperation with other scientific institutions and businesses.

Our international networking in the fields of teaching, research, organisational and HR development has increased considerably in the context of building the European Higher Education Area. Our profile includes cooperation programmes with excellent European and non-European universities. One of our special features is the close collaboration with South-East Europe and networking participation in the Coimbra Group and the Utrecht Network in the frame of which there are additional possibilities for mobility and project cooperation. Austria’s unique internship programmes for members of teaching, research and administration staff as well as the continuous increase in short-term lectureships in the frame of the EU Socrates programme are part of our internationally oriented HR development measures.

The scientific and economic environment is very important for the development of our university. We grasp the opportunity to participate in cooperation with other academic institutions and businesses, thus contributing to regional development.
Developing an excellently equipped and short-distance campus with state-of-the-art infrastructure and efficient administration is the key to research and teaching.

The members of our university – academic and non-academic staff, students and alumni – support the university’s social role through active communication. Both research results and educational policy issues are communicated and discussed beyond the boundaries of the university. It is our central concern to promote the concept of life-long learning. Hence, we offer a comprehensive range of adult education courses for all generations.
Within the scope of our social responsibility, one of our focuses is maintaining and fostering ecological, economical and social responsibility. We dedicate ourselves to issues of sustainability not only in teaching and research, but also in the field of university development.

We promote the intellectual, technical and personal development of our employees. We respect social principles and foster an atmosphere of open communication and mutual esteem. Human resource management is implemented as a common responsibility supported by all members of university staff, especially by senior officials and other responsible people.
We create organisational frame conditions which help our members of staff to cope with family and work satisfactorily.

At our university, gender equality, equal opportunity and affirmative action for women have special priority. We strive for a balanced ratio between men and women, especially on the executive level. In the frame of affirmative action for women, we focus on supporting young scientists. We also develop and encourage cooperation models concerned with female and gender studies at academic and non-academic institutions.