Tyrolean universities join forces for sustainability

On the occasion of European Sustainability Week from September 18, 2025, to October 8, 2025, the eight Tyrolean universities are publishing the position paper Sustainable Tyrolean Universities, with which the Tyrolean University Conference, chaired by PH Tirol Rector Regine Mathies, is placing strong emphasis on the topic of sustainability. The position paper aims to strengthen existing cooperation between universities, joint projects, and the exchange of experiences on sustainability strategies and activities in the areas of teaching, research, continuing education, operations, and organization, as well as to raise awareness and expertise in society.

SUSTAINABILITY POSITION PAPER

In recent years, Tyrolean universities have increasingly intensified exchanges, activities, and cooperation projects on the topic of sustainability in higher education. Together, they also adopted the position paper Sustainable Tyrolean Universities, with the intention of defining and highlighting their joint field of activity in education for sustainable development in Tyrol and pooling synergies. Tyrolean universities are thus further intensifying their activities on the topic of sustainability in order to effectively meet the current and future challenges of climate change. To this end, knowledge transfer between universities is being strengthened, cooperation projects and joint educational programs are being implemented, and active, solution-oriented work is being carried out in society through cooperation with social and economic actors.
 

In addition to regular meetings between sustainability coordinators from all universities to exchange ideas and continue working together, inter-university workshops are held on topics such as transformative learning. For several years now, cooperation projects on sustainability have been increasingly designed and implemented between the eight Tyrolean universities, such as the Innalp Edu Hub project, which is being carried out by the University of Innsbruck, the PH Tirol, and the FH Kufstein Tirol.

CYANCE: BIORESSOURCES IN THE ALPINE REGION 

The five-year cooperation project CYANce – Climate Creativity – Youth for Alpine Needs, led by the association klasse forschung!, has been running since 2022. CYANce is establishing permanent networks and sustainable infrastructures for developing, testing, and bundling forward-looking educational practices in central, regional, mobile, and digital co-creation spaces. The project focuses on water and bioresources in the Alpine region, as these are of high economic, social, and environmental priority. Among other things, CYANce promotes eco-social thinking with regard to the Alpine habitat, teaches the basics of sustainable solutions, and offers practical educational opportunities for children, young people, teachers, and students. Through a broad network, including AMS, Klimabündnis Tirol, Fablab Spielraum, partner schools, and flexible laboratories in Tyrol, young talent is promoted in an interdisciplinary manner, even in remote regions.

LONG NIGHT OF RESEARCH 2026 ON THE TOPIC OF SUSTAINABILITY

Incidentally, the next Long Night of Research in May 2026 will focus more closely on the topic of sustainability and will present a series of joint sustainability projects by Tyrolean universities.

The sustainability position paper of the eight Tyrolean universities is the result of intensive inter-university exchange and close cooperation on the topic in recent years. Knowledge transfer, joint activities, and cooperation in the field of sustainability are a central educational mission of universities, which is necessary to ensure a livable future. All eight Tyrolean universities are therefore pooling their expertise with the aim of intensifying existing sustainability activities, raising awareness in society and education, communicating opportunities for action, and implementing concrete sustainable strategies in the operation, teaching, and research of the universities," said Regine Matheis, Chair of the Tyrolean University Conference and Rector of the PH Tirol.