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Since 2006, non-medical healthcare professions have also been trained at universities of applied sciences (FH)/universities of applied sciences (HAW). These include the medical-therapeutic-diagnostic healthcare professions (MTD) as well as midwives, music therapists and qualified healthcare and nursing staff (DGKP). In addition to biotechnology and other life sciences, psychotherapy programmes will also be offered at UASs in the future.

„With the transfer of the non-medical healthcare professions to our universities, applied research in these disciplines has been greatly expanded, as they are based on their own scientific theories, research methods and evidence-based concepts for action. At the same time, they are interdisciplinary and combine research in the natural sciences, social sciences and engineering. Our universities not only provide theory, but also solutions for practice,“ says Ulrike Prommer, President of the FHK.

In the health sciences, the UAS/HAW conduct research into major social challenges such as demographics, digitalisation and the influence of climate change on health. The examples are numerous. In close consultation with those affected, digital aids and language services are being developed for family carers to help them cope with everyday life by providing information, advice and exchange. In interdisciplinary collaboration with engineering research groups, new ventilators, fall detection systems and AI-supported early detection methods are being developed and the effects of extreme heat on mental health are being researched.

„Today, our universities are an indispensable part of the Austrian education, research and innovation system. They ensure equal opportunities in society, open up academic pathways for new target groups and strengthen regions away from urban centres. World Health Day 2026 should remind us that, in the face of current challenges, we need immediately implementable, practice-based expertise instead of more „why“ analyses. Our universities bring innovation directly to the regions and healthcare systems - quickly, effectively and application-orientated. Research and teaching at our universities must be financially secured and independent doctoral programmes must be made possible in order to strengthen Austria's innovative strength, social permeability and security of supply in the long term. Politicians must act now,“ emphasises Prommer.