Results show: Close networking between science, business and society pays off and must be increasingly promoted in the future!

The DACH ranking of the TU Munich confirms that Austrian universities of applied sciences (UAS) and universities of applied sciences (UAS) are closely linked to the economy and society. Among other things, it shows that the UASs are among the best performers in the needs-based training of academics. Graduates from all disciplines emerge with a high level of understanding of entrepreneurial behaviour. This has the effect that UAS graduates are particularly successful in their later professional lives and also have a particularly high affinity for starting their own businesses. In the evaluation for Austria, 7 UASs are among the 10 best universities.

"For us, it is crucial that we involve business and society in our university activities and that their needs are reflected in our teaching and research. This makes us unique as a type of university. We are very proud of our good and long-standing cooperation with our corporate partners and are therefore all the more pleased that the ranking confirms our commitment with such an outstanding result," says FHK President Ulrike Prommer.

"We are taking the DACH rankings as an opportunity to appeal to politicians that teaching and research at UASs must be strengthened both financially and structurally. This includes sustainable funding for our research as well as independent doctoral programmes that we continue to develop in line with demand. This is because UASs ensure the transfer of research and thus increase the added value of the products and services that are created in Austria. Strengthening the UASs therefore leads to a direct strengthening of Austria as a business location," emphasises FHK Secretary General Kurt Koleznik.