IIASA Interim Deputy Director General for Science Wolfgang Lutz will partake in the annual conference of Austrian higher education, to discuss the current geopolitical context, recent developments, and their impact on Austrian education. 

For decades, global cooperation between universities was perceived as a secure and respectful hub for research, teaching, and learning environment. However, the recent multiple crises in the world – Ukraine Conflict, and attacks on academic freedom and values in several countries – have led us to question whether we can maintain global cooperation among higher education institutions. And if yes, how? Where are the "red lines" and how to go with them?

The Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalisation (OeAD) is hosting the 2022 annual conference on Higher Education, aiming to facilitate various range of forums and discussions on the dimension of international university cooperation, both on a strategic level and in implementation. The event attracts Austrian higher education institutions and offers a wide range of workshops, discussions, and exchange opportunities for international university cooperation.

Wolfgang Lutz will participate in the panel discussion comprising of a variety of speakers  – (foreign) policy and diplomacy, stakeholder organizations at the European and national level, support centers, and higher education institutions – to discuss whether the European higher education sector needs to reconsider the founding principles of international cooperation in higher education, such as openness, mutual trust, and mutual benefits, as well as what “values-based” international engagement needed for the future.

Panel Discussion: We must never stop talking to each other” Internationalisation between trust, knowledge diplomacy, and ‘red lines’ (in English)

Moderator: : Irina Ferencz, Academic Cooperation Association (ACA)

OeAD is Austria for Higher Education Agency, which for 60 years has been advising, supporting, and connecting people and higher institutions in education, science, research, and culture. It contributes to inclusive, equal, and high-quality education. The OeAD also serves as the Austria national agency for the implementation of Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps.