Refugees at Austrian Higher Education Institutions - Invisible Talents?, April 12, 2023

In cooperation with the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), the OeAD - Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalisation invited to the event "Refugees at Austrian Higher Education Institutions – Invisible Talents? ". The event successfully demonstrated the often overlooked achievements of students with a refugee background at HEIs. The objective was to counteract the often deficient discourse about refugees with a positive narrative and to demonstrate opportunities that result from the participation and inclusion of refugees.

In keynote speeches, representatives from two Austrian HEIs, FH JOANNEUM – University of Applied Sciences and Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU), addressed the support measures for refugees initiated at their institutions and emphasized that support is possible despite tight budgetary and administrative framework conditions. During the panel discussion two students with a refugee background - Haia Haddad, (WU Vienna ), and Kyrylo Meliushko (JKU Linz) - discussed the situation of refugees at Austrian HEIs with migration researcher Judith Kohlenberger (WU Vienna) and the head of UNHCR Austria, Christoph Pinter. The students described the challenges they faced in their studies, but also presented the measures that support them.

The platform was also used by various organisations in the field of integration, migration, and inclusion to exchange ideas. More than 15 organisations took part, including UNHCR, Caritas Vienna and the Austrian Foundation for Development Research.

More information (in German).