Austria launches portal for university collections

A new online portal brings together 130 university and scientific collections from 14 Austrian universities, ORF reports. Three of the universities are among Styria’s five universities, and more collections are expected to join.

The portal offers an overview of the collections, their holdings and areas of focus. Examples include the University of Graz’s archaeological collection, objects from the Graz Crime Museum and Vienna’s Botanical Garden. Researchers, universities and museums are its main intended users, but it is also freely accessible to the public.

A 2024 survey found that more than 50 collections held about 2.7 million objects. These include archaeological and natural history specimens, books, archival material, photographs, artworks, scientific instruments and digital objects.

The initiative is run by the Austrian Museums Association, based in Graz, and the Working Group for University and Scientific Collections in Austria. The portal is intended to help collections connect, exchange expertise and develop joint projects. It links existing digital resources and makes some lesser-known collections discoverable online, but does not replace individual institutions’ inventories or databases.

Bernadette Biedermann, head of the University Museums at the University of Graz, said many collections had previously worked largely in isolation. The portal is intended to strengthen cooperation within the collections community and support national and international partnerships.