(APA/Vienna, 28 May 2026) – Universities have staged a demonstration in Vienna to protest against budget cuts planned from 2028 onwards. The protest was organised by the Universities Conference (uniko), the Austrian National Union of Students (ÖH) and staff representatives. Thousands gathered on Wednesday at 1 pm for the opening rally at the University of Vienna; the protest march led through the city centre to the Ministry of Science and in front of the Federal Chancellery. On Thursday, rallies will take place in Graz, Linz, Salzburg and Klagenfurt.
In sweltering heat, delegations from various Viennese universities and the federal states had made their way to the Universitätsring; according to the ÖH, an estimated 28,000 people joined the protest march. Signs warned against “austerity leading to a knowledge gap” and “dumb cuts”, whilst timeless university protest chants were skandiert (“Whose education? Our education"). The government’s proposals to date are “unacceptable”, emphasised University of Vienna Rector Sebastian Schütze in his speech. The consequences would be drastic staff cuts, poorer study conditions, reduced research output and diminished innovative capacity. “We are now demanding a reliable funding path from this federal government!”
"We won’t stand for it!"
The demonstration was a collective outcry against misguided austerity policies, said uniko President Brigitte Hütter in her speech, calling on students and university staff to stand together in the coming months and continue demonstrating to prevent the cuts. Whilst research funding is being increased across the EU, she criticised, it is being treated as a cost-cutting measure in Austria. Austria risks being left behind in the technology race, and cuts also jeopardise the quality of training for future doctors, teachers and lawyers. "We won’t stand for it!", Hütter declared, ready for a fight.
The protest was triggered by the federal government’s plans for the upcoming two-year budget (2027/28). The uniko had initially feared cuts of one billion euros in its next three-year budget (2028 to 2030) – a figure that Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer (SPÖ) called “purely fabricated”. In 2028, the Ministry of Science must cut a total of 190 million euros, and medical universities will, unlike previously, have to pay the salaries of doctors at university hospitals themselves. Science Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) has recently emphasised on several occasions that she is aiming for an overall increase. The final figures are due to be confirmed by the end of October. For Schütze, however, that is too late. The universities need planning certainty, and they need it now.
Rectors want a budget increase
The university rectors are continuing to demand an increase of €1.5 billion to €18 billion; anything else would mean “severe cuts” for students and in research. The ÖH Federal Council also fears further cuts running into the billions; chair Selina Wienerroither (Association of Socialist Students/VSStÖ) warned in her speech of overcrowded lectures, poor student-tutor ratios and more admissions procedures. The Junos students were present at the demonstration with a placard bearing the slogan “Red kills universities”. The ÖVP-affiliated AktionsGemeinschaft (AG) had previously accused Minister Holzleitner of “austerity that destroys universities” and called for her resignation.
Support for the protests also came on Wednesday from the chairs of the university councils, effectively the supervisory boards of the universities. They noted that there is potential for savings in every institution, but that the expected budget shortfall jeopardises the quality of academic education and graduates’ prospects on the labour market. “It seems inconceivable that university councils could recommend to the rectorates that they enter into a performance agreement that would result in such a loss of substance,” they warned.
Gewessler criticises cutting corners on the future
The largest non-university research organisations have also insisted on sufficient funding for universities. Universities and research institutions are interconnected vessels. “Neither is sustainable or internationally competitive without the other,” stated a press release from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW), the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA).
Prior to this, several provincial governors had already reacted with outrage to the austerity plans; Upper Austria’s Thomas Stelzer (ÖVP), for instance, warned of a “major setback for the entire region”. On Wednesday, the Greens once again called for a different set of priorities when it comes to budget cuts. The government has billions for the Lobau Tunnel, but is cutting back on universities and education, criticised federal spokesperson Leonore Gewessler during the protest march.
Protest actions have been announced for Thursday in the federal states.
(Vienna, APA)