First working meeting with the Sounding Board
The first meeting of the internal working group with the Sounding Board marks an important milestone in the analysis of the Austrian higher education system that FORWIT is currently conducting as one of the foundations for the development of the 2040 Higher Education Strategy. The exchange now launched will critically accompany this process and bring in an international perspective.
International experts providing an outside view
The aim is to systematically confront key findings on the performance, governance and funding of the Austrian higher education system with experiences from other countries. The Sounding Board brings together distinguished figures from higher education policy, university leadership and education research who know different national systems from their own experience. This mix is intended to ensure that Austria’s higher education system is not only compared in terms of key indicators, but also against institutional reform pathways and strategic choices in other countries. The members of the Sounding Board are:
- Rachel Brooks (University of Oxford) is an expert in the analysis of international student mobility and the internationalisation and Europeanisation of higher education institutions.
- Lino Guzzella was Rector of ETH Zurich from 2012 to 2014 and President from 2015 to 2018.
- Ingvild Reymert (Oslo Metropolitan University) is a political scientist focusing on higher education and research policy, in particular the governance and organisation of public institutions.
- Robert-Jan Smits was Director-General for Research and Innovation at the European Commission, where he played a leading role in shaping the EU research programmes Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. Until 2025 he was President of the Executive Board of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU Eindhoven).
“I am very pleased that we have been able to win these four outstanding experts to accompany and comment on our analysis from an international perspective,” says Henzinger.
First working meeting as a starting signal
At the first joint working meeting, members of the working group and the Sounding Board discussed the analytical framework, guiding questions and initial findings. The central issue was which international comparative perspectives are particularly relevant for Austria – ranging from study success and talent attraction to governance structures and the social responsibility of higher education institutions. As the process unfolds, the Sounding Board will act as a sounding board for interim results and as a sparring partner for key propositions of the analysis. The assessments will feed into the stocktaking exercise that will provide the basis for further development of the 2040 Higher Education Strategy.
About the analysis of the Austrian higher education system
On the basis of its government programme, the Austrian Federal Government has commissioned FORWIT to carry out an analysis of the higher education system, which is to serve as one of the foundations for the preparation of the 2040 Higher Education Strategy. The task of this analysis is to describe the Austrian higher education system in its current state and to assess its systemic performance. To this end, quantitative indicators are being defined, possible target dimensions for the three core tasks of higher education institutions – knowledge transmission, knowledge production and knowledge transfer – are being proposed, and potential challenges are being identified that require a policy response.
The analysis will provide a basis for the preparation of the higher education strategy, which must answer the question of what kind of higher education institutions Austria will need in 2040.
