The Johannes Kepler University Linz’ Faculty of Medicine will benefit, spurring education and research.    

JKU Rector Meinhard Lukas remarked: "The pandemic has shown us that in times of crises, our top scientists’ expertise is crucial. Ambitious researchers have been able to develop effective vaccines in just a very short time and scientists continue to tirelessly conduct research on new treatments. Experts at the JKU Faculty of Medicine and at the Kepler University Hospital have - and are – contributing significantly to combating the pandemic in Austria. For the JKU, the "Uni-Med-Impuls 2030" program will be a further boost for medical research and education at the highest level."

Elgin Drda, Vice-Rector for Medicine at the JKU, is pleased about the program and added: "The fact that the fairly new JKU Faculty of Medicine can take part in the Uni-Med-Impuls program means the faculty’s accomplishments in research and teaching are being recognized. I look forward to taking part in the "Uni-Med-Impuls 2030" program to strengthen medical research and education at Austrian universities. The additional funding will reinforce and accelerate the JKU Faculty of Medicine’s successful progress."

The new program will facilitate the following at the JKU’s Faculty of Medicine:

• Expand the number of spots in the medical degree program: The original budget called for 300 spots in the program at the start of the 2022/2023 academic year (there were 240 spots available for the 2021/2022 academic year). Thanks to the new program, number of spots in the program will progressively increase to 330:
  • 2022/2023 academic year: 310 spots in the program
  • 2023/2024 academic year: 310 spots in the program
  • 2024/2025 academic year: 320 spots in the program
  • 2025/2026 academic year: 330 spots in the program
• Three additional professorship positions in Linz:
  • Clinical Infectiology (incorporated into the inter-university Ignaz Semmelweis Institute - ISI)
  • Health Services Research focusing on gender medicine
  • Medical Systems Biology
• Making general medicine more attractive by creating a scholarship for a clinical traineeship at a private practice as well as adding General Medicine as an elective in the Master's program curriculum
• Collaborative digital anatomy projects with the Medical University of Graz

Christine Haberlander, State Health Minister, added: "Being able to increase the number of spots in the medical degree program and add three professorships positions for infectiology, systems biology, and healthcare research with a focus on gender medicine, is yet another milestone not only for Upper Austria as a location for healthcare, but also for the JKU Faculty of Medicine. Being able to accept more young people into the program is not only an outstanding opportunity to earn a medical degree, it is also an investment in our country’s medical future, ensuring the highest possible level of long-term care. This level of growth is important and a clear sign to strengthen science and medical research, particularly during a pandemic."