In coordination with the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science & Research and the State of Upper Austria, a short-term joint initiative by Rector Meinhard Lukas (Johannes Kepler University) and Artistic Director Gerfried Stocker (Ars Electronica) will offer a summer university program at the JKU campus in conjunction with this year’s Ars Electronica Festival. The international "Festival University" will be held in English and will, among other things, pave the way and usher in the new TU of Upper Austria for Digitization and Digital Transformation. Under the Festival University’s motto "Transform Your World", the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science & Research and Upper Austrian government will provide funding in the amount of € 440,000.

100 school students and university students between the ages of 16 and 24 and from all over the world will be selected to take part the program, receiving a grant that will cover travel expenses, accommodations, and meals. The grant recipients will be supervised by members of an international faculty. The Summer University program is three weeks (August 30 - September 19, 2021).

The first week will take place online, the second and third weeks will take place in Linz. 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. The Ars Electronica Festival (September 8-12, 2021) at the JKU campus will be at the center of the Festival University program. This year’s motto is “A New Digital Deal”.

The Festival University grant recipients will be invited to take part in the Festival program. In this way, LIT projects at the Festival by JKU researchers will be particularly significant as part of the Summer University program. In addition, experts in science and academia, business, and culture will mentor the students taking part in the workshops as well as in the supporting program. The mentors will come from all over the world and many of these mentors have been associated with the Ars Electronica Festival for many years. Naturally, JKU faculty members are also invited to take part in the Festival University as mentors. In lieu of the short lead time, the JKU is actively contacting faculty members in this regard.

The Johannes Kepler University is looking forward to welcoming grant holders from all over the world to the Ars Electronica Festival to take part in the Festival University at the JKU campus.

Click here, opens an external URL in a new window to learn more and sign up!

Start page header: Machine in Flux –Wood / Sunjoo Lee (KR), Ko de Beer (NL); Photo credit: Tom Mesic