The planned new Technical University (TU) for digitization and digital transformation in Linz “stands and falls with the start phase” of the next three years, said the managing director of the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) Upper Austria, Joachim Haindl-Grutsch, on Friday. By that he meant primarily the start-up management. “Now time is of the essence, it has to be a catapult launch,” otherwise one would fall back into the existing system of the university. The important decisions would have to be made in the first half of the year.
Haindl-Grutsch advocates for as international an audience as possible. Half of the students from abroad “would be a good goal”. The four planned bachelor’s and four master’s courses should also be made attractive for women. “We can set ourselves a goal of around 50 percent.”
In order to make the TU Linz as interesting as possible, the ecosystem around the university in central Linz must be improved. According to Maximilian Priglinger, chairman of Junge Industrie Oberösterreich, seven proposals have been drawn up, including a “task force” made up of national and international experts, in order to “enhance it to international radiance”. Another suggestion is to create a web platform for students where they can find all the important information about their studies, also in English: from housing to career opportunities. Financing a professorship through the IV is conceivable.
A kind of guarantee that the TU students, if necessary, can do an internship or even a job in Upper Austria. Industry would get, the IV did not want to give up. But the high potentials will certainly also be offered financial incentives. An attempt will be made to bind the students to Upper Austria from the very first semester, so that they stay here after completing their studies or work at other locations for local companies. (uru)
Source: Nachrichten
