Failed talks delay Tirol palliative medicine professorship

Plans for an endowed professorship in palliative medicine at the Medical University of Innsbruck have been delayed after negotiations with the selected candidate broke down, ORF Tirol reported. The university and the state of Tyrol said the two sides had differing views on the position’s conditions and available infrastructure.

Medical University of Innsbruck Rector Gert Mayer said the first recruitment process had identified a highly suitable candidate, but talks had recently failed. The university said the original plan needed changes, particularly concerning inpatient capacity at Tirol Kliniken and the university hospitals.

The candidate had been chosen from a shortlist of three. Talks are now under way with Tyrol’s health councillor, Cornelia Hagele, about advertising the position again.

The plans were presented in February 2025. The professorship is to be based at the Medical University of Innsbruck, with funding from the state and social insurance. Under an agreement with the university, the state will provide funding for five years.

The position was originally expected to be established by 2030. It was to be attached initially to the university hospital’s Department of Internal Medicine V, which specialises in haematology and oncology, with a separate university clinic for palliative medicine planned in the longer term.

Mayer said the university still intends to create the professorship, with goals including patient care, teaching and research. Palliative medicine focuses on caring for seriously ill patients with a very limited life expectancy.