The Styrian University Conference supports “Graz, mach was!”

The Styrian Higher Education Conference welcomes the “Graz, mach was!” programme presented by IV-Steiermark and emphasises that Graz cannot be conceived of as a hub of innovation without strong universities. The universities are ready to take on responsibility. This requires a sustainable strategic partnership between universities, the city and the business community.

Graz is home to around 60,000 students from all over the world, eight higher education institutions and a dense network of research institutions and centres of excellence. Together with industry and non-university institutions such as JOANNEUM RESEARCH, Styria achieves an above-average research rate of 5.31 per cent. This potential has so far been insufficiently visible and could be exploited even more effectively.

IV-Steiermark sums it up in its programme: Graz is a ‘hidden champion’ that could long since have been playing a leading role among Europe’s innovation hubs.

Skilled workers, research, entrepreneurial spirit – universities deliver

Styrian universities train the skilled workers that Graz needs as a technology and industrial hub: in mobility, green tech, life sciences, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. They bring international talent to the city and keep them here – provided the right conditions are in place. Through start-ups, technology transfer projects and collaborations with businesses, they actively contribute to the region’s economic development.

“The universities are not mere suppliers to Graz as an innovation hub – they are its foundation. We provide the knowledge, the minds and the entrepreneurial spirit on which everything else is built. Now is the time to strategically harness these strengths together,” says Corinna Engelhardt-Nowitzki, Chair of the Styrian University Conference.

STEM region, real-world laboratories, international visibility – universities as active shapers

The call by IV-Steiermark to develop Graz into a recognised STEM region during the coming municipal council term has the express support of the Styrian University Conference. The universities are ready to actively support this process: from fostering an early enthusiasm for STEM subjects to positioning Graz as an international centre of education.

The University Conference also supports the vision of establishing Graz as a real-world laboratory for new technologies and urban transformation. Universities can play a central role in this: as research and development partners, a testing environment and a bridge between basic research and application.

Appeal to the new city government: involve universities as equal partners

The Styrian University Conference calls on the future city government to involve universities in urban development not merely as educational institutions, but as equal strategic partners. Innovation districts, start-up ecosystems and technology transfer can only realise their full potential where the link between universities, business and the city is institutionally embedded – and where the city actively creates the necessary spaces for this.

The “Graz, mach was!” programme is an important impetus – the universities are ready to translate this into concrete action together with the business sector and city policymakers.

Source: Styrian University Conference, 12 June 2026