Last autumn was marked by budget cuts. University funding fell €2 billion short of what would have been needed to maintain universities at their current level. As the Austrian Students’ Union (ÖH), we have always stood for academic freedom, a broad range of research and fully funded education. We upheld these demands during the budget negotiations and afterwards. For us, one thing is clear: Cutting funding for our universities, students and staff is the wrong approach. The negative consequences will be felt for a long time to come.

We are now seeing firsthand what cuts to higher education really mean. Nevertheless, it is important to hold the Vienna Science Ball this year. We must champion universities and science and celebrate their importance to society as a whole, ensuring that investment in these areas remains a priority. At this year’s ball, let us once again show that education and research must be accessible to everyone – and let us raise a glass to that together!

Viktoria Kudrna is from Vienna. She is pursuing a master’s degree in Spatial Planning at TU Wien and studying Geography at the University of Vienna. She currently serves as Chair of the Austrian Students’ Union (ÖH), alongside fellow leadership team members Selina Wienerroither and Umut Ovat.

For six years, I worked at a media research institute. Not as a researcher, but in the “science communication” department – roughly speaking, the press office. One of my responsibilities was producing the institute’s own podcast. Once a month, I spoke to journalism researchers, media lawyers or media sociologists about their work. Sometimes we discussed the findings of a brand-new study, sometimes broader questions about current social issues. “What is social media doing to our children?”, “What does the future of public service broadcasting look like?”, “How can we hold major online platforms accountable for the content posted on them?” Continue reading Johanna Sebauer: “Beware of the Know-It-Alls” →

The new Scientist of the Year 2025 knows the Science Ball from her own experience. Last year, Francesca Ferlaino was a member of the team of Austrian quantum physicists who presented their QuantA network with a spectacular presentation in the ballrooms. Ultimately, it is this inclination and ability to communicate highly complex concepts in a popular way that earned Ferlaino the award from the Club of Education and Science Journalists, which was presented to her at the Concordia Press Club on January 7 – together with honorary tickets for the ball. Continue reading Francesca Ferlaino: An ultracool laureate →