News & Events

First Lecture: Easier and harder than thought. The uneven global energy transition

From Linz to Addis Abeba and Beijing, electric cars, solar panels and other renewable energy technologies are becoming an increasingly common sight.   At his First Lecture, Christoph Bertram, new IT:U Professor of Global Energy System and Policy Analysis, has said the global shift to renewables has been faster and broader than many experts once […]

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11/02/2026

Climate change linked to increase in river levels, new study

The devastating floods that struck north-eastern Austria in autumn 2024 left a trail of destruction across the region. The fact that such large amounts of rain fell within just a few days was partly linked to climate change. A new study now shows that it had an even greater impact on river levels. Storm Boris […]

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Bernd Resch, professor at IT:U holding a presentation

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10/27/2026

AI in the classroom: IT:U launches school workshops on trustworthy AI

Why can an AI answer sound convincing and still be wrong? How can you spot mistakes, and when is human judgment needed? With the 2026/27 school year, IT:U, together with 506.ai and INCHSTONE, launched the school workshops of the TRUST-AI4Schools research project. At five partner schools in Upper Austria, students from primary through upper secondary […]

First Lecture: How technology, policy and human choice shape sustainable decisions

A label on a menu, a tax on petrol, or an agent offering advice may all seem unrelated, but they can all help people make better and more sustainable decisions. The latest IT:U First Lecture has explored this topic by showing how digital tools and public policy help shape the choices we make every day. Shaping sustainable […]

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Master's cohort at IT:U semester 2026/27

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10/19/2026

Welcome to IT:U: Where learning happens in LearnLabs, not lecture halls

At the start of the 2026/27 academic year, IT:U welcomed 101 new students to its Master’s and PhD programs. This brings the total number of students at the university for transformation in Linz, founded in 2023, to 178. From the outset, students combine knowledge from different disciplines and work together on real-world challenges, actively shaping […]

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group of women and men standing in front of a building

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10/13/2026

IT:U Innovation Lab connects research and business to tackle challenges from local companies

With the opening of the new WKO Education Campus, the Upper Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO Oberösterreich) has created a hub for qualification, collaboration, and knowledge transfer. A prime example of how education, research, and industry can work together is the partnership with IT:U. Through the IT:U Innovation Lab, companies, students, and researchers collaborate to develop […]

Looking with two eyes instead of one: A new way to look into human bodies

Physicists, including from IT:U, have found a new way to explore information hidden in PET scans, an advance that could one day lead to clearer cancer screenings. PET, or Positron-Emission-Tomography scans, use a radioactive tracer to check for signs of cancer, heart disease, and brain disorders. But scientists believe these scans may contain more information than previously thought. […]

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09/24/2026

ITellYou Podcast – EP1: Is University still worth it in the age of AI?

Welcome to ITellYou, a new podcast where we bring together questions from different perspectives and ask our guests to tell us what they think. Every episode is built around three boxes: I: IssueQuestions from the general public. T: ThinkQuestions from researchers and industry partners. U: UnlockQuestions from students. For our very first episode, we sit […]

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:digital transformation

09/23/2026

International climate expert Christoph Bertram moves from the U.S. to Linz’s IT:U

With the appointment of Christoph Bertram, IT:U is taking a significant step in building its scientific excellence. The internationally renowned scholar is moving from the University of Maryland to Austria to take up the Professorship of Global Energy System and Policy Analysis. For the initial years, this position is supported by the University of Maryland’s […]

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09/21/2026

Should Teens Be on Social Media? The science behind Austria’s and the EU’s proposed age limits.

The new school year has started, and in the near future the lives of teenagers could look strikingly different if the government and the European Union introduce new age caps on endless social media scrolling. Austria wants to introduce a minimum age of 14 for social media platforms, like TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram. Elsewhere […]

Sabine Seidler appointed to the IT:U Board of Trustees

IT:U is strengthening its Board of Trustees with one of Austria’s most distinguished higher education leaders. Sabine Seidler, former Rector of TU Wien and past President of the Austrian Universities Conference (uniko), has been appointed to the strategic supervisory body of Austria’s youngest public university. From Founding Advisor to Trustee Seidler’s appointment is made pursuant […]

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09/08/2026

Who get’s to build tomorrow’s tech? Why diversity matters.

As technology increasingly shapes everyday life, two fundamental questions become more important: For whom is it built, and who gets to build it? For decades, technology has been developed within environments where men have significantly outnumbered women. While this imbalance is often discussed as an equality issue, its implications reach much further. Diverse teams don’t […]

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