Short Profile
Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, founded in 1585, is Austria's second oldest university and, with around 31,500 students and 4,000 employees, also one of the country's largest. Numerous outstanding scientists, among them six Nobel Prize winners, have taught and conducted research here.
Its geographical location encourages a lively scientific, economic and cultural exchange with south-eastern Europe, from which both the city and its educational institutions benefit.
Facts and Figures
- Founded in 1585
- 7 organisational units: 6 faculties, 1 university administration
- 76 institutes
- 31,500 students
- 4,800 first-year students
- 3,300 graduates per academic year, including nearly 200 doctoral degrees
- 100 degree programmes
- 4,000 employees, of whom 2,700 are researchers
- 180,000 square metres of usable space
- Annual budget of 205.4 million euros
Further information can be found at: www.uni-graz.at
Climate Focus
As one of seven research priorities, the University of Graz conducts intensive and networked research into "Environment and Global Change (EGC)".
The focus is on researching and monitoring climate and environmental change and its impacts, analysing the role of humans, and identifying pathways towards sustainable regional development and innovation. The primary focus region is Austria, embedded within European and globally oriented research as well as fundamental research into environmental systems.
The inter-university priority area "Environment and Global Change" brings together more than 20 research groups at the Graz site, spanning climate and environmental physics, meteorology, environmental chemistry, hydrogeology, environmental biology, ecology and evolutionary research, environmental economics, environmental sociology and psychology, geography and regional research, systems sciences and sustainability research, external environmental research: solar system and space, environmental ethics, and environmental law.
The scientific work and projects focus on six research fields:
- GlobEOS (Global Earth Observation and Stewardship) deals with global earth observation and stewardship in the context of climate and environmental change.
- RegIMOS (Regional Integrated Modeling and Studies) is dedicated to regional integrated modelling and studies on climate and environmental change.
- EnviSYS (Changing Ecosystems and Earth-external Environmental Systems) encompasses research into the Earth's ecosystems and Earth-external environmental systems in transition.
- GreenPROTEC (Green Processes and Technologies) focuses on processes and technologies for addressing climate and environmental change.
- HDChange (Human Dimensions of Climate Change) investigates the societal dimensions of climate and environmental change.
- RegiKNOWS (Regional Changes Research and Knowledge Transfer for Sustainability) encompasses research into regions in transition and knowledge transfer for sustainable development.
At the University of Graz, expertise was already pooled back in 2005 with the founding of the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change.
The working groups within the priority area are involved in numerous projects at the forefront of international research and can point to publications in high-ranking specialist journals.
Further Links
http://www.uni-graz.at/de/forschen/forschungsprofil/forschungsschwerpunkte/