Mission Statement

WU is the public university of economics and business in Austria, and one of the leading universities of its kind in Europe. It is an agile organization of experts with the goal of promoting social prosperity, economic capability, and sustainability through its teaching, research, and third mission activities. WU’s faculty, staff, students, and alumni take their social responsibility seriously and are guided by the values of openness, integrity, and appreciation.

WU creates meeting spaces that utilize, promote, and display the university’s expertise to enhance its national and international reputation and appeal among its stakeholders. WU aims to be a leading institution in research and tertiary education in the German-speaking region and in all of Europe, characterized by a future-oriented and innovative approach. It strives for excellence in research and sees it as part of its responsibility to deliver state-of-the-art teaching rooted in current academic knowledge. In this way, WU wants to prepare its students to become leaders of the future who will go on to shape the course of society. WU treats students and alumni with appreciation and respect, and it creates spaces for lifelong learning. Its expertise makes WU a valuable partner for businesses, academia, and the community at large. WU cooperates with excellent universities around the world, predominantly with institutions holding accreditations from EQUIS, AACSB, and AMBA.

WU delivers excellent research and teaching and upholds the highest standards of professionalism in its administrative services. With its location in one of the most livable European capital cities, its internationality, diversity of subjects, size, and excellent infrastructure, WU is one of the most attractive universities in the world.

WU Strategy Compass

The WU Strategy Compass is a living strategy that serves as a guideline for the university’s strategic outlook and defines clear goals that all WU employees strive to achieve.

At WU, our main strategic goal is to further increase our excellence to come as close as possible to our vision – being one of Europe’s top educational and research institutions with a focus on training the leaders of tomorrow – and to optimally fulfilling our purpose – having a positive impact on business, the economy, and society. These elements are all equally important. They are interrelated with each other, and they are based on three additional pillars: strong community spirit, continuous internationalization, and a push for expanding WU’s resources. Excellent research is conducive to high-quality teaching, which in turn fuels the transfer of knowledge to society, in fulfillment of our third mission. As a responsible university, WU is committed to its core values of openness, integrity, and appreciation, to equal opportunities, and to diversity, which we regard as the key to success.

Strategic Plan & Performance Agreements

Based on a 125-year track record of successful academic work, this Strategic Plan describes how WU Vienna University of Economics and Business perceives its role and position, and it outlines WU’s key priorities and areas of work for the coming two Performance Agreement periods (until 2030).

The Austrian Universities Act (Universitätsgesetz) defines the content that must be covered in a Strategic Plan and specifies the requirements for developing this document further on a continuous basis.