The role of women in Europe

How visible are women in Europe? What role do they play in science, society and leadership? And what has changed on the path towards greater equality, and where do challenges still lie?

These are the questions that the event ‘The Role of Women in Europe’ will address on 5 October 2026 at the Medical University of Graz.

The event will focus on women in academia, their visibility, women in leadership roles and the evolution of the image of women. It will examine both how things have changed over time and what prospects lie ahead for the future.

To this end, the event will bring together different perspectives through incisive keynote presentations. Rector Andrea Kurz will open the morning’s proceedings and, alongside Karin Schmidlechner-Lienhart from the University of Graz and Boštjan Marko Turk from the University of Ljubljana, will examine the topic from various angles. It is precisely this exchange across university and national borders that makes the European perspective so interesting.

A special highlight of the programme is the subsequent unveiling of the sculpture ‘RHEINNYMPHEN’ by the Slovenian artist Gaberi. The sculpture forms part of the ‘Universitätsbrücken’ art project, which connects universities in various European cities. Sculptures by Gaberi can already be found in Vienna, Prague, Budapest and Maribor, amongst other places. The Medical University of Graz now adds another pillar to this bridge. This highlights what connects European universities: academic exchange, research and cross-border collaboration.

We warmly invite you to join us in reflecting on the role and visibility of women in Europe and to round off the morning with a chance for personal discussion at the get-together afterwards.

The Role of Women in Europe

5 October 2026, 11.00 am
, Lecture Theatre 6, Medical University of Graz
, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6, 8010 Graz

Please register by 28 September 2026 via https://insights.medunigraz.at/events/detail/enthuellung-der-skulptur-rheinnymphen