JKU Budget: An Additional €105 Million for 2019-2021

The JKU will be receiving a budget of €497 million euros for 2019-2021. That is €105 million more than the 2016-2018 term.

Gov. Stelzer (l.) and Rector Lukas
Gov. Stelzer (l.) and Rector Lukas; Photo credit: Land OÖ/Schauer

On Tuesday, the Johannes Kepler University Linz sat together with representatives from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (bmbwf) to negotiate the budget for the next three years and sign a new performance agreement. €55 million euros will go toward further university development (excluding medicine). The remaining €50 million euros will go toward the further development of the Faculty of Medicine. This includes inflation adjustments of over ten million euros.

The Kepler University prepared meticulously for the negotiations, starting off with the development plan that was unanimously approved by both the Senate and by the University Council. This strategic paper served as the basis for the JKU's budget proposal and after a series of preliminary discussions at various levels, the pivotal negotiations took place yesterday at the Department of Science in Vienna.

At the start, JKU Rector Meinhard Lukas spoke about the Johannes Kepler University's vision and how the university can and aims to progress by 2022, providing the university receives the appropriate budgetary means. After intense negotiations that went well into the evening, an agreement was reached: A budget increase (excluding medicine) comes to a 15.6% increase and with medicine to a 26.9% increase.

Upper Austria Contributes to the Nation’s Prosperity
Governor Mag. Thomas Stelzer remarked, “This is a great day and fantastic negotiation results for the JKU Linz and for Upper Austria. The negotiations were not easy but in the end we were able to find common ground. The JKU Linz has the budget it needs. I would like to thank the responsible parties, Minister Heinz Faßmann and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, as they always remained open to our arguments. They know just how important the JKU Linz is for Upper Austria. And they also know how important this region is for the nation’s overall prosperity.”

Dr. Michael Strugl, Economic & Research Administrator and Deputy Governor, is pleased with the negotiation results and added, “The additional federal funding is not only an important incentive for the Johannes Kepler University, but also for Upper Austria as a whole. The JKU not only conducts cutting-edge research, the university is an educational institution, training skilled workers of tomorrow. This is vital for regional development and strengthening Upper Austria as a competitive location of business.”

JKU Rector Meinhard Lukas remarked, “All in all, I must say that even as a seasoned attorney, these were probably some of the most difficult negotiations I have ever experienced. The Ministry faced many challenges given the high expectations and demands of all 21 universities. We therefore appreciate the more personal, constructive and performance-oriented discussions all the more. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Federal Minister Dr. Heinz Faßmann and his team for placing so much confidence in the JKU.”

The Linz Institute of Technology (LIT) will continue to help the Kepler University sharpen its spearheading profile, improving the law-business ratio and continuing to successfully build and develop the Faculty of Medicine. Rector Lukas added, “The additional budget of 55 million euros will be used to, among other things, hire 25 new professors.”

The JKU Appreciates the Unwavering Support
During the negotiation process, the regional and local governments, industry, the business community, and the city strongly supported the Johannes Kepler University. Rector Lukas acknowledged, “I would like to thank all of the state and city government representatives, as well as the state parliament, city government, and local council for their unwavering support, especially Governor Stelzer. His support during the whole process was vital. He reiterated his strong beliefs in this ‘land of opportunities’ and has once again proven to be one of the JKU’s greatest supporters.”

The JKU would also like to especially thank Deputy Governor Strugl, Mayor MMag. Klaus Luger, the Federation of Austrian Industrialists as well as many industrial representatives. Rector Lukas added, “Everyone worked tirelessly to support the new university budget and support our university’s strategic interests. I would also like to thank the Markus Achleitner, designated Minister of Economy, the Economic Chamber, the Chamber of Labour and the local media for their support. Last but not least, I would like to thank our team at the JKU. They worked intensively on the performance agreement for the past two years and all of their efforts have paid off.”