Austria starts recruitment program for US researchers-Diepresse.com

In view of Donald Trump’s frontal attack on the US universities, Austria’s Minister of Science Eva-Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) already announced at the beginning of the week to want to get programs on the way to bring scientists from the United States to Austria. The « press » reported. She presented the relevant plans on Wednesday.

The “Joint Austria Attractivity Effort” working group has already started. All possibilities for international researchers and students in Austria are now to be brought together in Austria. Holzleitner speaks of a « perspective package » with three pillars that you have put together. In order to make Austria attractive for US scientists and students, you need easy information, targeted programs and the legal framework.

The platform Euraxess has been accessible online since Monday, through which all job offers but also funding and cooperation of Austrian research and science institutions can be called up.

For students who are under political pressure in the USA or elsewhere in the world, there will be 50 scholarships in Austria with 1000 euros each. The Austrian university has long had such a program « in the drawer », as Holzleitner says. Now it will be implemented.

Amendment

The universities will also be able to flexibly switch off funds from the ongoing performance agreement to get staff from the USA. For example, the so -called Opportunity Hiring is expanded. The existing obligation to tender for scientific staff can be canceled and professors employed, even if it is not in the development plan of the universities. So far, the proportion of opportunities for opportunity Hiring was limited to five percent of the professorships. This limitation is now increased to ten percent for people who had the center of their research and teaching in the United States. To make this possible, however, a change in the University Act is needed. The amendment is scheduled for six weeks next week.

In contrast to the costs for the students’ scholarships, the extent of the costs for this measure is unclear. It would depend on how strongly the university would like to use the Opportunity Hiring.

The Federal Government does not “actively follow” a proposal by the universities of universities that US universities should be able to open branches in Austria.

But why should researchers from the United States come to Austria of all places, are taxes high and limited the funds for research funding? When asked about this, the Minister of Science argues that « Donald Trump’s political activities would be shifted. Austria could offer security and a free research environment, the United States is not. In addition, partner institutions would already report « quite many » inquiries, « despite the tax framework ». In general, Austria benefits from the close cooperation between the science community but also from free science in other countries, especially within the EUsays Holzleitner.