Target area:	Linking Higher Education & Society
Sub-target area:	Human Resource Development
Target countries:	Austria
Duration:	16/08/2021 - 15/04/2022
Partners:	Vienna University of Economics and Business
Budget line:	WU Jubilee Fund of the City of Vienna

Project description

Almost every fourth foreign student at Austrian universities comes from a developing country, a total of approx. 18,500 students. Nevertheless, this fact still plays a minor role in the perception of the Viennese universities, as does the second relevant group, students with a refugee background. In the past five semesters, 3,100 newly admitted refugee students attended around 4,000 courses offered by the MORE program.

The participation of these students provides a framework for the dialogue between science, civil society and politics. However, surveys show that they face a lack of support, language barriers, financial challenges, lack of work permits and social isolation. So far, there is hardly any empirical knowledge on measures that would help them to start and complete their academic studies in Vienna. Furthermore, a lack of studies on the (educational) participation of the two target groups can be perceived. Similarly, there is a research gap as concerns the self-image of universities as places of diversity and internationality of students (instead of researchers). While “diversity” is understood as an essential factor in the fundamental alignment of university processes in a diverse society, “internationality” refers to research and teaching located in a globally active scientific location.

Students from developing countries or with a refugee background can make a valuable contribution to a comprehensive understanding of "internationality" and "participation" and represent a valuable resource with regard to Vienna as a "city of international encounters". The research aims of the project are therefore

(1) an analysis of the Vienna’s (self-)perception as a part of the global scientific landscape,

(2) an analysis of the possibilities of participation or, conversely, the barriers to participation of students from developing countries/with a refugee background at Viennese universities and

(3) the formulation of policy recommendations for innovation and diversity promotion. For this purpose, qualitative primary data are collected in focus groups and will be presented in a final stakeholder workshop in April 2022.