Lower Austria offers up to 39.6 million euros for health studies

New funding agreements are intended to secure health degree programmes at three universities in Lower Austria, with up to 39.6 million euros available for the current academic year, ORF reported.

The agreements, made by the Lower Austria Health and Social Fund (NÖGUS), cover study places, regional training locations and applied research. The funding period began in October 2026 and runs until September 2029. The participating institutions are the University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten (USTP), IMC Krems and the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt.

Health and nursing care is a particular focus. Each institution can receive funding for up to 185 first-year places in the subject, or 555 places a year in total. Other funded programmes include physiotherapy, speech therapy, biomedical analysis and midwifery.

The agreements also support training locations in Amstetten-Mauer, Horn and Mistelbach. Each of the three universities can receive up to 250,000 euros per academic year for applied research.

NÖGUS managing director Volker Knestel said the funding would secure training for up to 1,113 first-year students each year. He said it would help address the shortage of skilled workers and protect the long-term quality of medical and nursing care.

IMC Krems managing director Ulrike Prommer pointed to strong interest in health science programmes. USTP managing director Johann Haag said the agreements would support innovative training and make programmes more attractive. Axel Schneeberger, managing director of the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt, said the three-year funding commitment provided planning certainty and strengthened research.