The Development Plan as one of the strategic planning instruments of the university lays an important foundation for the performance agreement.

In preparation for the upcoming performance agreement for the years 2025 to 2027 to be concluded in 2024 with the Federal Ministry of Science, the University has compiled the Development Plan “University of Vienna 2031”.

Upon proposal of the Rectorate – following consent by the Senate – the University Board unanimously approved the Development Plan on 15 December 2023.

The Development Plan documents the strategic orientation of the University of Vienna. Selected highlights include:

Shaping the research and teaching profile together, six strategic priorities

Excellence in research and the breadth of its range of disciplines characterise the University of Vienna also internationally. The aim of the Development Plan is to strategically advance the profile and specific qualities of the University of Vienna from a national and international perspective, thereby considering research, teaching and knowledge transfer as a unity.

The Development Plan defines six strategic priorities building on the current disciplinary strengths of the University of Vienna and consolidating competences across disciplines and faculties. These strategic priorities pool, coordinate and channel the activities of the University of Vienna in the dimensions of research, teaching, career development, knowledge transfer and cooperation.

The six strategic priorities of the University of Vienna are:

• Culture, Education, Democracy
• Digital and Data-Driven Transformations of Science and Society
• Climate, Environment, Sustainability
• Global Health: Physical, Mental and Social Dimensions of Health
• Systems of Life – Foundations of Life
• Quantum Systems and Materials for the Future

The Climate, Environment, Sustainability strategic priority serves as a basis for a range of new master’s programmes in Climate – Environment – Sustainability, which should be developed in a coordinated way in the next years. The master’s programmes in the field of Climate – Environment – Sustainability should be linked through joint seminars, project modules and courses to combine the acquisition of in-depth disciplinary and interdisciplinary competences (T-shaped education).

On the path towards becoming a digitally savvy face-to-face university

The University of Vienna aims at developing itself towards a digitally savvy university offering face-to-face teaching to combine the advantages of the digital realm with the opportunities of personal exchange in a shared physical environment in the best possible way. A digitally savvy university offering face-to-face teaching is a university combining traditional and innovative concepts of on-site teaching characterised by high-quality interactions with digital technologies and online teaching/learning environments. Due to the heterogeneity of the disciplines and degree programmes, study-related concepts must be developed to fill the aim of a digitally savvy university offering face-to-face teaching as defined in the Development Plan with life.

Career development, support of postdoctoral researchers at the University of Vienna

Doctoral education at the University of Vienna is already well-positioned through the introduction of the new doctoral programmes and the doctoral schools. It is further consolidated though the establishment of doctoral schools in all disciplines. For the University of Vienna, a next step in the support of early stage researchers is to focus on the promotion and support of postdoctoral researchers, such as through introductory workshops, group-specific further education and training measures, offers for advancing transferable skills, coaching as well as mentoring.

Sustainability

The University of Vienna aims at anchoring sustainability in essential strategic fields of action and at integrating sustainability guidelines into the central tasks and missions of the University. Focus areas of the sustainability initiative of the University of Vienna are climate neutrality by 2030, biodiversity, sustainability as a topic in teaching, sustainable nutrition and supply, sustainable procurement and infrastructure as well as outreach, communication and networking.

Development Plan: University of Vienna 2031

According to the 2002 Universities Act, the next Development Plan has to be compiled in 2026.