Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for 2025
Outlook for 2025
Semester question
- Semester question 2024: Can health be fair for all?
Health is more than just a personal responsibility. Who we are, where we live and what we can afford has enormous impact on whether we are healthy or ill. How can we create better opportunities for a healthy life for all?
Event tip for the start of the year
- Panel discussion on the semester question on January 13th 2025
Medical ethicist Alena Buyx (TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich) will give the keynote speech.
Joining her on the panel: Medical anthropologist and spokesperson of the Health in Society research network Janina Kehr, network researcher and Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Network Medicine Jörg Menche, alumnus and co-founder of the XUND health app Lukas Seper and alumna and head of the Pharmic Academy, Eva Waldmann.
Time: Monday, 13 January 2025, 18:00
Venue: Main Ceremonial Hall of the University of Vienna, Universitätsring 1, 1010 Vienna
Please register
Quantum 2025: International year of quantum science and technology
The quantum year 2025 marks the 100-year anniversary of quantum mechanics and honours the progresses made in this fascinating research field. The University of Vienna has played a key role in the discipline since the beginnings of quantum research and will celebrate this anniversary with focus topics and events, including the semester question in the summer semester of 2025, the Vienna Children’s University 2025, guided tours, conferences and summer schools.
In cooperation with the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), TU Wien and the University of Innsbruck, the University conducts fascinating campaigns that serve to provide a platform for the exchange of groundbreaking research findings and innovative ideas. Look forward to a year of scientific findings and interdisciplinary collaboration and delve into the world of quantum physics.
Strauss year 2025: Lecture series on topographies of Strauss
In 2025, Vienna celebrates 200 years of Johann Strauss. The Department of Musicology of the University of Vienna invites Strauss enthusiasts and students to a public lecture series exploring the life of the influential artist who has shaped the city of Vienna greatly.
Save the date: Events at the University of Vienna in 2025:
- 23 January 2025: Nachtschicht@UB on 23 January 2025: The University Library is opening its doors for an entire night again - at the Juridicum, since the Main Library is currently being renovated. Here, students can work on their academic theses, study for exams or make use of the wide range of offers. To the programme
- 6 May 2025, 18:00: 13th “Umwelt im Gespräch” event on the topic “Harmful substances in food: Low dosage, to what effect?” in the Natural History Museum Vienna
- 6 May 2025: Entrepreneurship Night: University of Vienna founders present their ideas and provide insights into startup practice. The programme includes interactive master classes, an inspiring market place and the award of the Univie Entrepreneurship Award. This year’s event focuses on the topic of inspiration.
- 17 June 2025: Closing panel discussion of the 2025 semester question “Gamechanger quantum research” (from March 2025 onwards in the Rudolphina research magazine)
- July 2025: Vienna Children’s University – obtain news and information about the dates via the Children’s University newsletter.
- Find out about further events in the events calendar of the University of Vienna as well as in the alumni events calendar.
Important dates in 2025 for prospective students:
- Interested in starting a (new) degree programme? Join us at “uniorientiert”, the open house event of the University of Vienna from 10 to 11 April 2025.
- Deadlines for bachelor’s/diploma programmes subject to an entrance exam procedure/aptitude test
- Application and admission periods for other degree programmes
Highlights of 2024
Semester question in the summer semester: Do we know what AI will know?
At the latest since ChatGPT, the discussion about artificial intelligence has become part of mainstream society. Are we at the beginning of a golden age of knowledge? Or will it all turn out differently?
Research successes
- Position 110: University of Vienna moves further up in the THE Ranking
In the new THE Ranking for 2025, the University of Vienna ranks in 110th position, thus remaining the highest ranked Austrian university. Compared to the previous year, the University of Vienna was able to improve by 9 places and is now getting ever closer to the top 100. The University of Vienna was able to improve especially with regard to the highly weighted research indicators.
Position 110: University of Vienna moves further up in the THE ranking (in German language)
- Cluster of Excellence and Emerging Fields
The University of Vienna is involved in both Clusters of Excellence newly funded in 2024 as part of the excellence initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF): "Neuronal Circuits in Health and Disease" and "Circular Bioengineering". In addition, the University of Vienna is responsible for coordinating the new Emerging Field "A new Geometry for Einstein's Theory of Relativity & Beyond", which aims to measure space and time anew. Furthermore, the University is involved in the Emerging Fields "REMASS: Resilience and Malleability of Social Metabolism" and "Crucial steps in evolution: The rise of genome architecture” (further information).
- 14 new ERC grants
In 2024, researchers of the University of Vienna have obtained 14 new ERC grants. The University of Vienna has thus obtained 143 ERC grants in total so far - an Austrian record.
- START prizes 2024
In June 2024, the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) for the last time awarded the START Prizes, which will be replaced by the new career funding program ASTRA in 2025. Mathematician Yurii Malitskyi from the University of Vienna received a START prize for providing a glimpse into the 'blackbox of algorithms' as part of his research project. Classical philologist Dan Batovici moved to the Faculty of Protestant Theology bringing along his START project on early Christian figures in literature. Experimental physicist Uroš Delić, postdoctoral researcher in the Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information research group, received a START Prize for his project on interacting quantum objects, which he will implement as the new junior group leader at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) in Innsbruck.
- Further national research successes
Funding for the special research area "Taming Complexity in Materials Modeling", involving TU Wien and the University of Vienna, has been extended for another four years. The University of Vienna is involved in the new FWF Research Group "Unlocking the Schematismus", funded with 1.56 million euros. The doctoral program in Discovery of Anti-Infective Substances, coordinated by Judith Rolling from the University of Vienna, has received funding in the amount of 2.49 million euros from the FWF.
Campaign u:respect
- Standing together for respect: the University of Vienna sends a signal
On 19 November, the University presented u:respect – a campaign to prevent gender-based violence and sexual harassment. The campaign aims to intensify preventative measures, promote a mindful approach to dealing with incidents and raise awareness of the contact points and complaints procedures at the University of Vienna. The campaign is targeted at both employees and students.
Excellent teaching
Teaching that appeals to students: On 29 November 2024, the Teaching inspires event put a spotlight on the laureates of the Teaching Award and their excellent teaching activities. More than 200 participants explored the 24 award-winning courses and innovative approaches representing ten faculties of the University of Vienna.
Alumni
- Alumni goes Vienna State Opera
In November, we invited alumni and students to an exclusive cultural evening in the Vienna State Opera. Following a fascinating introduction to the opera in the Tea Salon, the participants enjoyed an exciting performance of Madame Butterfly, experiencing Puccini’s emotional masterpiece from a unique perspective. To the report (in German language)
- International Alumni Chapter
The opening of three new international alumni chapters in New York, London and Paris in 2024 further strengthened the alumni community. This expansion provides new opportunities for exchange and networking at the global level for our alumni. Further information (in German language)
Highlights on Instagram
Academic literature for the holidays
Reading tips
Those doing research have a lot to tell: In the research magazine Rudolphina, you can find first-hand knowledge – directly from a research team, the laboratory or a think tank. The univie Blog https://blog.univie.ac.at/en/ is a rich collection of stories about people who shape the University of Vienna.
UniVienna experts recommend books to gift and read with Rudolphina Reads!
Democracy is in a vulnerable state. This winter, stay hopeful with Philosopher Mark Coeckelbergh’s “Why AI undermines democracy and what to do about it”. He recommends picking up Nowotny’s “In AI we trust” as a primer to catch up on AI discourse. For those concerned by the environmental cost of AI, Crawford’s “Atlas of AI” exposes the massive energy infrastructure behind the scenes.
Is the concept of “the West” an invented fiction? Archaeologist Naoíse Mac Sweeney new book “The West – A new history in fourteen lives” asks this very question. Fans of history and politics should follow up with Greenberg & Hamilakis’s “Archaeology, Nation and Race”, which illustrates the many ways modern politics purposefully manipulate narratives about the ancient past. Frankopan’s “The Silk Roads”, a book on the deep interconnectivity of East and West, pairs deliciously with Mac Sweeney’s The West.