Johannes Kepler University Linz

Johannes Kepler University (JKU) Linz, founded in 1966, was established as the first  university in Upper-Austria focused on social science, economics and business. Since then it has grown to offer nearly one hundred different programs at the Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD levels, twenty-six of which are taught in English. Tuition for students from Austria, the EU and the EEA is €363 ($396) per semester, €726 ($792) per semester for all other students. Cross-discipline collaboration is part of the university’s future-oriented mission and students benefit from the structure connecting the five faculties (Social Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Engineering and Natural Sciences, and Medicine).

One constant across all programs and courses is the university’s commitment to research-led teaching, and the Institute for Entrepreneurship fulfills that commitment by teaching about, with and through entrepreneurship. Elisabeth Berger, head of the Institute, shares her latest research findings with students to get them excited about entrepreneurship both as a career and a research field. “The mission of the Institute is to get students in touch with entrepreneurship, to enable them to play with and experience it,” says Elisabeth. In one course, for example, students act as consultants to local startups, getting to know the founders and their challenges, and working on real-world solutions. The Institute hosts an annual Founders Week where students from all programs and levels arrive with a business idea on Monday morning and leave Friday evening with an entrepreneurial concept they pitch.

Promoting entrepreneurship is one example of how JKU prepares students for the careers and challenges of the future. Courses at the Institute are open to students from any discipline, and they are encouraged to bring the entrepreneurial spirit into established companies or institutions, such as NGOs, where innovative solutions are required to solve societal challenges.

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