NEWS
Welcome to the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences
25 October 2024
Nestled in the picturesque city of Dornbirn, in Vorarlberg, Austria, the Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences (FHV) boasts a prime location in the heart of Europe. With Switzerland, Germany, and Liechtenstein just a stone’s throw away, students can enjoy stunning mountain views from their classrooms. Established 30 years ago, FHV has become a key player in Vorarlberg’s educational landscape, committed to excellence in studying, research, and further education (at Schloss Hofen).
With a dedicated team of 387 employees and about 1,600 students, FHV is pleased to share a strong track record: More than 80% of graduates have received job offers by the time they complete their studies. As one of the founding members of RUN-EU, FHV is committed to fostering its cooperation with the other RUN-EU members and to ensuring that everyone at FHV can benefit from being part of the European University.
Join us as we delve deeper into the enriching opportunities available at FHV in the realms of studying, research & innovation, and learn how RUN-EU has been institutionalised at FHV.
Studying at FHV: Discovering Opportunities, Shaping the Future
FHV offers 25 study programmes in 4 subject areas: Business, Engineering, Design and Social & Health Sciences. Roughly 1,600 students (among them around 76% Bachelor and 24% Master-students), enjoy FHV’s modern infrastructure, 24/7 accessibility for laboratories, and personal support.
All programmes are closely aligned with the needs of local industry and society, ensuring a practice-oriented education that prepares students for real-world challenges. Part-time and dual study programmes make it possible to combine an academic education with a professional career. Notably, over 45% of students have chosen this opportunity, enabling a seamless blend of academic education and professional experience. More than 80% of the graduates have received a job offer or found a job by the time they are graduating.
Nonye Okolo, a graduate of the Bachelor programme in Environment and Engineering, points out one of the benefits of studying at FHV: ‘For us students, the FHV campus and all the labs were fully accessible, even in the evenings and on weekends. That’s a huge advantage.’
His fellow student Lisa Oberholzer, a graduate of the Bachelor programme in InterMedia, highlights: ‘The programme was perfect for working across disciplines and expanding my creative horizons.
More than ‘just learning’: Teaching and research are closely linked at FHV. Students can work on research projects at an early stage and embark on an academic career up to the doctoral level. FHV offers doctoral programmes with cooperating partners, such as the University of Burgos. With these cooperative doctoral programmes, the PhD candidates benefit from international research collaboration and science teams across universities.
Research and Innovation at FHV: Regional partner in Global Innovation
FHV currently has four research centres (Business Informatics, Energy, Human-Centred Technologies and Microtechnology) and three research groups (Digital Business Transformation, Empirical Social Sciences, and Smart Engineering Technologies).
Our research topics focus on pressing social issues: sustainability and climate change, digitalization and AI as well as social and health sciences. In doing so, we are guided by the EU pillars of green transition, digital transition and social inclusion, as they are also addressed in RUN-EU.
With over 100 researchers driving these initiatives, FHV collaborates with more than 300 research and innovation partners and boasts a research volume of 7.5 million euros. Complementing its research efforts are two subsidiaries, V-Research and Digital Factory Vorarlberg, which enhance FHV’s extensive portfolio.
‘Research at FHV is also in accordance with the main idea of RUN-EU: collaboration and regional development. In more than 40 of our 70 research projects, companies and institutions from Vorarlberg are involved, leading to benefits for the entire region. FHV as a scientific hub is not just a vision, but already a reality’ points out Markus Preißinger, head of research at FHV.
For more information about FHV’s research initiatives, visit www.fhv.at/forschung, the RUN-EU Cloud of Knowledge Portal, or sign up for FHV’s research newsletter.
RUN-EU at FHV: Driving Transformation Through International Collaboration
FHV is deeply committed to embedding RUN-EU as a core element of its institutional framework. This commitment is evident in its strategic vision and the planned implementation across all departments and business units.
By integrating RUN-EU into its institutional strategy, FHV drives its transformation through international collaboration, significantly contributing to the university’s forward-thinking development.
The goal of RUN-EU at FHV is to ensure that it is accessible to all students and staff and responsive to their needs. This initiative is not a temporary project but a long-term initiative that is woven into every area of the university. To support this vision, a dedicated RUN-EU department was established in 2024, working closely with all sectors and departments to further advance the institutionalisation.
Over the past few years, FHV has successfully introduced 8 new RUN-EU Double Degree Programmes and co-developed more than 25 Short Learning Opportunities in collaboration with RUN-EU partners. Additionally, the 2024 General Assembly and Students Week took place on the FHV campus in Dornbirn, serving as a significant booster for collaboration and demonstrating how partnerships and connections continue to deepen.
Marijana Milošević, head of the RUN-EU department at FHV, notes:
‘We are proud to have launched numerous initiatives through RUN-EU and to see the growing involvement of over 50 staff members. In 2024 alone, more than 100 FHV students benefited from RUN-EU offerings. These efforts demonstrate our strong commitment to international collaboration, and we look forward to further expanding our engagement with both colleagues and students in the coming years.’
In addition to the RUN-EU network, FHV maintains partnerships with around 100 universities worldwide, and more than 50% of its full-time students gain international mobility experience before graduating.