The Austrian Universities of Applied Sciences have done everything in their power to enable their students to study as smoothly and punctually as possible. Online operations were ramped up within a very short space of time. The considerable additional costs of this changeover have not been and will not be compensated and are noticeably exacerbating the already strained financial situation of the universities of applied sciences. Even before the coronavirus crisis hit, the universities of applied sciences were calling for an urgently needed 10 per cent increase in funding rates per study place. Even then, the Minister of Science signalled his understanding for the urgency of the UAS' concerns and referred to the budget year 2021. But then the crisis hit: additional costs everywhere you look, loss of income in the area of research (many cancellations in contract research) and in continuing education are the result. The full extent of the losses in this semester alone cannot yet be estimated.

"In addition to all the financial difficulties of the present, there is now also the uncertainty regarding the next academic year," says FHK President Ribitsch. There has already been a noticeable decline in the number of applicants in individual fields of study. On the one hand, this is due to the long-unclear situation as to how things will continue with the Matura and, on the other, to the different orientations of the individual degree programmes. In addition, the media message that "universities are closed" has given many applicants the wrong impression.

"As the universities of applied sciences are financed per occupied study place, a dramatic development is also emerging here," warns Ribitsch urgently.

The universities of applied sciences contacted the Minister of Science at the beginning of the crisis and asked for support. Many points were raised that could have made working during the crisis much easier, but the concerns of the universities of applied sciences were only met in the most minor points. He did not signal any support for the important funding issues and the necessary administrative simplifications and remained non-committal.

"We have now reached a point at which we can no longer accept glossing over and putting things off!

For this reason, the universities of applied sciences are calling on the federal government and especially the Minister of Science to implement the following points in a timely manner:

1. increase in funding rates per study place by 10 per cent from 1 January 2021

2. ensure that the universities of applied sciences do not suffer any additional loss of income in the next academic year due to the crisis-related decline in applicant numbers. In 2021, the accredited standard study places must be financed.

3. minimisation of bureaucratic complications in the area of accreditation and reporting (such as the preparation of the annual report to AQ Austria)

The universities of applied sciences, with a total of around 250,000 students, teachers, researchers and graduates, are making a valuable and vital contribution in times of crisis. We are not only training the urgently needed health science staff, but are also making valuable contributions to overcoming the crisis in almost all scientific fields. In order to be able to continue to do this in the future, the federal government needs to act now!" concluded Ribitsch.