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as saving energy and material resources, substituting
conventional products with organic and/or fair trade
ones, and making their university a role model in
the region, including cooperation with schools and
their pupils. They developed a mission statement for
the university, integrating sustainable development,
and designed an education concept for the primary
and secondary schools in the region. At the schools
they performed a play on the carbon footprint, initi-
ated a competition for the pupils and arranged a final
‘Festival of the Future’ to honour the winners.
Regional Integration: RCE Graz-Styria (2010)
The Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for
Sustainable Development (RCE) Graz-Styria has
been located at the Faculty of Environmental and
Regional Sciences and Education of the University
of Graz since 2009. It serves as a contact point
between university and society, sharing infor-
mation and experiences and promoting dialogue
among regional and local stakeholders. The RCE
Graz-Styria is part of an international network,
Global Learning Space for Sustainable Development
(GLS), which includes over 70 RCEs worldwide and
is coordinated by the United Nations University
(UNU).
European Integration: Salzburg Centre of European Union
Studies (2008)
The Salzburg Centre of European Union Studies
(SCEUS)/Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, founded
in 2007, is a research, graduate and postgradu-
ate teaching centre of the University of Salzburg,
specializing in studies of the European integration
process, particularly in the social sciences, law and
contemporary history. The research programme of
SCEUS is organised in four disciplinary clusters.
Currently it is focusing on research on the European
Social Model within a three-year programme. In
addition, SCEUS provides a two-year multidiscipli-
nary MA course in European Union Studies as well
as a Doctoral School.
The future of the Austrian Sustainability Award for
Universities
These examples show that sustainability has become
an important topic in many Austrian universities
and can be implemented in a wide variety of ways.
The award will be organized again in 2012 and 2014
with the hope of further increasing awareness of the
need for sustainability in Austrian higher educa-
tion. Alternating with the award, a more systematic
networking of sustainability pioneers is envisaged to
increase communication about sustainability and the
exchange of good practice models within Austrian
universities and beyond.
In this Joint Masters programme, sustainability issues are
approached from an inter-disciplinary perspective and address
the needs and possibilities of societal transformation. It
combines the strengths and specializations in teaching and
research of six partner universities (Universität Graz, Austria;
University of Utrecht, Netherlands; Ca´ Foscari University
Venice, Italy; University of Leipzig, Germany; Basel University,
Switzerland; and Hiroshima University, Japan). The Masters
Programme is recognized in the countries of the consortium
partners and students have the possibility of going on to PhD
studies in all partner countries. The Joint Programme also
increases participants’ employability in the private, public and
semi-public sectors.
Research: Euroleague for Life Sciences (2010)
The Euroleague for Life Sciences (ELLS) is a network of leading
universities cooperating in the fields of natural resource manage-
ment, agricultural and forestry sciences, life sciences, veterinary
sciences, food sciences and environmental sciences. Its main goal
is to conduct research on food security as a means of alleviating
poverty. ELLS offers International masters programmes, summer
schools/intensive programmes, student exchange, grants and
awards, international networking and joint teaching and lecturer
mobility. The network is currently led by the University of Natural
Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna.
Structural Implementation: innovative mobility concept of the University
of Innsbruck (2010)
When the staff of the University of Innsbruck asked for more
parking spaces, the pro-vice-chancellor for infrastructure reacted
by designing an innovative mobility concept, consisting of a
combination of public transport tickets heavily subsidized by the
municipality, bicycle stands, bicycle lanes and an electronic car
parking system. This offer was accepted by 400 members of the
staff and thus a valuable green area surrounding the University
could be saved.
Communication and Decision Making: Joint Lecture Series of the four
universities in Graz (2010)
Lecturers from the four universities in Graz (Technical University,
University of Graz, Medical University and University for Music
and Performing Arts) dealt with sustainable development from
technical, medical, musical, ethical and climatological perspectives.
In the final lecture, the vice-chancellors of the four universities
held a panel discussion on the overarching topic of sustainability.
The aim of this lecture series was to allow students and staff to
learn about the sustainability-related research activities of the four
universities, to trigger discussions with each other and to cross disci-
plinary and university boundaries. This lecture series was the first
of a number of joint initiatives between the four universities, called
‘Sustainability4U’.
Student Initiatives: the study programme ‘Health Management in
Tourism’ of the University of Applied Sciences Joanneum, Styria (2010)
This two-year programme teaches change management compe-
tences, a critical approach towards material consumption, and
a work-life balance in which body, mind and soul stay healthy.
Students had the task of preparing the university to qualify for
the Austrian Eco-Label. They decided upon their own goals, such