New Funding for Health Sciences
Lower Austria Promotes Study Programmes and Research in Health Sciences
Financial support from the Lower Austrian Health and Social Fund (NÖGUS) ensures the continued existence of degree programmes in the healthcare professions at higher education institutions in Lower Austria. Funding was recently extended until 2029. Provincial Councillor Martin Antauer, NÖGUS Managing Director Volker Knestel, and the Executive Directors of IMC Krems University of Applied Sciences, the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt, and USTP presented the plans and the respective healthcare sectors at a press conference held at USTP – University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten.
“Behind good healthcare, there are always people with knowledge, experience, and a sense of responsibility. To ensure that they can be there for us tomorrow, we must invest in their professional training today”, emphasised Provincial Councillor Martin Antauer.
Investment in Security of Supply in the Population
The new funding agreements provide the three universities in Lower Austria with a reliable framework for their healthcare degree programmes. For the 2026/27 academic year alone, up to approximately 39.6 million EUR will be channelled into training places, regional campuses, and research.
“By extending the funding agreements, we are sending a clear signal regarding healthcare provision in Lower Austria. We are making targeted investments in training the skilled workers[AA1] that our healthcare system urgently needs, both now and in the future. This is an investment in ensuring the continuity of care for the people of Lower Austria”, explained Volker Knestel, Managing Director of NÖGUS.
“Health begins with people. That is why, at USTP, we train the professionals who will shape the healthcare system of tomorrow and link this training directly to applied research. This ensures that knowledge arrives where it is needed: with people in the fields of prevention, care, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. I would like to extend my special thanks to the Province of Lower Austria for continuing to fund our healthcare degree programmes. This funding is essential to enabling us to offer these programmes and train qualified healthcare professionals”, said Johann Haag, Executive Director of USTP.
Strong Interdisciplinary Approach
The new funding agreements for the health degree programmes support three areas: study places in Krems, St. Pölten, and Wiener Neustadt, further regional locations, and research. At USTP, this affects the study programmes Physiotherapy, Dietetics, Healthcare and NursingPLUS with the add-on Preclinical Treatment and Care, and the continuing education programme Applied Nutritional Therapy.
A specialty of USTP is the interdisciplinarity of its approaches: Even during training, specific teaching formats are used to foster joint learning and practice amongst the various professional groups within the healthcare professions and social work. This offers essential benefits, both in primary care and in clinical settings. Patients can receive exactly the care they need, and any social issues that may underlie their medical conditions can also be addressed. Through a partnership with Karl Landsteiner University, for example, mutual understanding is fostered between medical students and students of other healthcare professions at the USTP.
Training in the Regions
Funding from the Province of Lower Austria also provides grants for other healthcare and nursing sites. These are branch campuses of the universities in Mauer (USTP) and in Horn and Mistelbach (IMC Krems).
The aim of these sites is to attract more prospective students to health-related degree programmes and, through a more even distribution of graduates, to achieve greater regional balance to ensure comprehensive healthcare provision across the region.
Basic Research Financing
A new feature of funding in the health sector is now basic funding for research: To strengthen Lower Austria as a centre of science and to expand applied research, the three universities each receive a maximum of 250,000 EUR per academic year as basic research funding.
Connecting Research and Teaching
At USTP, research is directly linked to the degree programmes. In the health sector, this involves an institute and a research centre: the Institute of Health Sciences and the Center for Digital Health and Social Innovation.
USTP Executive Director Johann Haag: “We don’t just want to publish research. We want knowledge to have an impact and for new findings to reach the public. The basic research funding provided by the Province of Lower Austria is an essential foundation for sustainably strengthening this applied research and putting its results into practice.”
Press release by the Lower Austrian provincial government
USTP degree programmes in the health sciences
