Tirol opposition renews call for new MCI campus

Opposition parties in Tirol are urging the state government to build a new campus for the Management Center Innsbruck (MCI), arguing that construction would be a better long-term investment than renovating existing buildings. The call was made at a press conference in Innsbruck on Tuesday, according to ORF.

The state government decided in March to abandon the new-build plan and renovate the MCI’s current locations. Under the plan, the institution is to have capacity for 3,400 students from the 2028-29 academic year, along with 15,300 square metres of additional usable space.

The proposed work includes renting and fitting out the ground floor of MCI I on Universitätsstrasse, discussions with the landlord about renovating the rented space at MCI II in the neighbouring Grauer Bär hotel, and retaining the Villa Blanka location. At MCI IV, in the former main post office, the owner would carry out renovations while the MCI rented additional space in the existing building. An extension is also planned there.

FPÖ Tirol leader Markus Abwerzger said the plan would amount to a rental compromise rather than a modern campus. He argued that a new building involving the federal property company Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft would provide clearer ownership arrangements and eventually become public property after 30 to 40 years of loan payments. He said the renovation plan, including the former post office project, should be reconsidered.

List Fritz leader Andrea Haselwanter-Schneider said the plan would fragment the institution rather than create a university campus. Green Party MP Zeliha Arslan said a new building could ultimately be cheaper, while NEOS parliamentary leader Birgit Obermüller argued that the MCI needed modern facilities and contributed significantly to the region’s economy.

Independent MP Georg Dornauer called the current approach by the governing parties “a mess” and said the existing plans for a new building could still be pursued. He had previously expected construction to begin in 2026, he said. The opposition also called for transparent cost information on the renovation plan, saying it had not yet been provided.

The opposition parties urged the MCI’s partners to state their position on a new building at a meeting with the state government scheduled for Thursday. Abwerzger directed his appeal in particular to the Tirol Chamber of Commerce and the regional Federation of Austrian Industries.