Pinkafeld opens 70 million euro university campus

Hochschule Burgenland officially opened its new Campus Pinkafeld on Thursday, a nine-building complex with space for about 1,400 students. ORF reported that the campus cost around 70 million euros.

The 15,000-square-metre campus includes lecture halls, laboratories, seminar rooms and shared spaces. Students are already attending courses in fields including nursing, physiotherapy, energy and building technology.

Hochschule Burgenland chief executive Georg Pehm said the campus would help the institution expand its work in health, energy and sustainability, train students and pursue new research. The state is also planning a private medical university at the campus, which is expected to open in 2028 or 2029. At the opening, officials described the campus as a complement to the new clinic in Oberwart.

Burgenland Governor Hans Peter Doskozil said the region now attracts highly qualified workers, including doctors from Graz and elsewhere and nursing staff from Styria. He said good infrastructure would help encourage them to make the region their home.

The campus is designed to be largely energy-independent. A 200-kilowatt-peak photovoltaic system generates electricity, while 183 geothermal probes provide heating in winter and cooling in summer. Jutta Benedek, managing director of LIB, said the project required more investment initially but would reduce operating, energy and maintenance costs over the building’s life.

The campus also brings together healthcare facilities, the guesthouse and Burgenland Kitchens canteen, and Pinkafeld’s new public library. Doskozil said a sports campus was the next planned step for the town’s education facilities.