As part of the Ars Electronica Festival – both online and on-site at the Johannes Kepler University Linz campus - 100 school children and students from all over the world will explore and develop new approaches in support of digital transformation. With funding in the amount of €440,000 provided by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science & Research as well as the Upper Austrian government, "The Festival University" aims to pave the way and usher in the new TU Upper Austria.

The program and corresponding workshops scheduled to be part of the international summer university will be held in English. The summer program is open to 100 young people from all over the world. Those accepted will receive a grant covering travel expenses, accommodations, and meals. During the "Festival University", all participants will be supervised by mentors and international faculty members in the areas of science and academia, art, and culture. Many of these mentors have been associated with the Ars Electronica Festival for years and/or are JKU faculty members.

JKU Rector Meinhard Lukas remarked: "The 'Festival University' gives us an opportunity to demonstrate and bring the potential of establishing a university during the 21st century to life, particularly in Upper Austria. The Festival University will serve as a so-called think tank and do tank for the new Technical University in Upper Austria. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science & Research as well as the Upper Austrian government for their unwavering and steadfast support and for funding this program. I would also like to thank our partner, Ars Electronica, for the extremely inspiring and thought-provoking collaboration and the shared pioneering spirit that plays a key role in making this program possible. I look forward to welcoming many 'Festival University' grant recipients to the JKU campus."

Gerfried Stocker, artistic director at the Ars Electronica, added: "Digitization has gone from being a technological tool to a cultural technique; understanding the transformative forces emanating from digitization and the necessary skills required to make creative use of the opportunities arising from digitization naturally extend beyond specified fields in computer science. These developments are novel and dynamic and must be met with creativity, new ideas, and new forms of collaboration. This is exactly what we're doing together with the JKU! We're taking advantage of the Ars Electronica's large international network to create a prototype for a university of the 21st century where dedicated and driven young people from all over the world can come together with experts from various disciplines and subject areas to address the great challenges of our time."

Funding in the amount of € 440,000 for "The Festival University" will be provided by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science & Research and the Upper Austrian government.

Heinz Faßmann, Austrian Minister of Education, Science & Research, added:

"The initiative by the Ars Electronica Festival and the Johannes Kepler University to hold an international summer university program at the JKU campus will be a venue to support a unique forum for digital transformation that is designed together with and for young people. This is a preview of the future TU of Upper Austria and great advertising for Linz as a location for the arts and sciences. I would like to thank Rector Meinhard Lukas and AEC Director Gerfried Stocker for their role in organizing this impressive initiative."

Governor Thomas Stelzer stated: "This program gives creative and bright minds from all over the world an opportunity to contribute their ideas in support of the new Technical University for Digitization in Upper Austria. Innovative inspiration from a young generation serves as key building blocks in Upper Austria, supporting this region as a place of education. The TU will let us create opportunities that other countries cannot offer and shape digital transformation in Upper Austria together."

Facts:

• The three-week “Festival University” will take place between August 30 and September 19, 2021.
• The first week will take place online, the second and third weeks will take place at the Johannes Kepler University Linz campus.
• In lieu of travel restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, individual participants will also be able to take part entirely online via a hybrid mode.
• Students between the ages of 16 and 24 from all over the world can take part.
• During the application process, 100 students will be selected.
• Those selected will receive a grant covering travel expenses, accommodations, and meals.
• Program: The Ars Electronica Festival (September 8-12, 2021) at the JKU campus is the heart of the Festival University program. This year’s theme is "A New Digital Deal". Festival University grant recipients are invited to actively take part in the festival program. Mentors in the fields of science, business and culture will support the students during workshops and during the program.

See: The Festival University – A New Digital Deal (electronica.art), opens an external URL in a new window for detailed information and information on how to register by July 25 to attend.