Vienna, 07 November 2016 - On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the Higher Education Quality Assurance Act (HS-QSG) coming into force, the Austrian University of Applied Sciences Conference takes stock of its development. "Quality assurance is the task of the universities. The Agency for Quality Assurance Austria has the role of defining the framework conditions. External quality control by the authorities must be redimensioned and quality development must be placed more firmly at the centre. In practice, this is the responsibility of the respective university," emphasises Dr Helmut Holzinger, President of the FHK. He makes a clear demand: "For universities of applied sciences with an externally certified quality management system, mandatory accreditation for new degree programmes must be abolished."

This is because all new degree programmes at universities of applied sciences currently have to undergo initial accreditation. In addition, universities of applied sciences have to undergo an external audit of their quality management system every seven years. Holzinger sees this as an unnecessary duplication of effort, as the audit and accreditation areas largely overlap.

"There are excellent examples from practice in other countries. There, external accreditation of new degree programmes is no longer required for universities of applied sciences with a certified quality management system," emphasises FHK President Holzinger: "This is a trend-setting development that would also be beneficial for Austria. This places great trust in the autonomy of the universities, recognising them as the ones primarily responsible for their quality and its assurance. It also promotes institutional dynamism. If AQ Austria follows this successful path for Austria, it can also be sure of support from the universities of applied sciences in the future."