4.5 million euros for new endowed professorships in Innsbruck, Graz and Vienna

Climate protection as an important content topic

In 2022, the University of Innsbruck establishes a new endowed professorship in Active Mobility, TU Graz creates a chair in Acoustics and Noise Impact and WU Vienna is expanding its focus on the digital economy with an endowed professorship in Dynamic Systems.

“Endowed professorships are a tried-and-trusted tool for attracting exceptional researchers to Austrian universities. These researchers implement flagship projects which are highly relevant in both scientific and economic terms,” says Climate Action Minister Leonore Gewessler of the decision to fund the three new endowed professorships. From 2022, the Ministry for Climate Action (BMK) is making available a funding budget of 4.5 million euros over five years for the three new endowed professorships, thereby providing each university with 1.5 million euros of support. The universities themselves and business consortia will contribute the same sum or more. The financial independence of the professorships is established in the funding conditions. “An endowed professorship brings an effective image boost for companies and potentially establishes an early link with highly qualified young talent,” Leonore Gewessler explains, congratulating the universities on the grants. A total of seven applications were received in total.

“Endowed professorships help to bring universities, business and industry closer together. They enable new ideas and cooperations which would perhaps not otherwise have been possible. The companies and specific co-financing partners benefit in the long-term from the sustainable development of human potential in strategically relevant fields,” emphasise FFG Managing Directors Henrietta Egerth and Klaus Pseiner.
Climate protection as an important content topic

Since 2014, nine endowed professorships have been created in Austria as a result of four calls issued by the Ministry for Climate Action. The content topics for the 5th call of 2021 centred on climate protection and tackling climate change. Seven universities submitted their concepts for funding. A five-member expert committee proposed the concepts of the University of Innsbruck, TU Graz and WU Vienna for implementation in November 2021. Based on the selected concepts, the universities will advertise the new professorships internationally. By the way: seven of the nine endowed professorships in Austria to date have been international appointments.