FAQ

The WU Foundation was established in 2020 by WU Vienna University of Economics and Business and the WU Board of Trustees, in accordance with the Federal Foundation and Fund Act 2015 (Bundes-Stiftungs- und Fondsgesetz). It is listed in the Federal Ministry of the Interior’s register of foundations and funds, under the name of “WU (Wirtschaftsuniversität) Wien – Stiftung” (WU Vienna University of Economics and Business – Foundation) and the number 304, and it is referred to as the WU Foundation for short.

The WU Foundation is a non-profit foundation and does not seek to generate profit. The principal purpose of the foundation, as defined in the Deed of Foundation (Articles of Association), is to promote excellence at WU in the areas of research, teaching, and Third Mission activities. This is achieved by awarding earmarked grants to WU, funded from the income generated by the foundation’s assets.

The WU Foundation is also the exclusive owner of WU Ignite Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in WU-related startups.

The WU Foundation was established to give WU Vienna the opportunity to fund additional activities outside of its regular operations and budget. The foundation pursues long-term investments to generate potentially higher returns and allow for better financial planning of the relevant activities. In addition, the foundation offers donors the opportunity to support WU Vienna on a long-term basis through their donations (and the investment income generated from the donations). The structure of the foundation creates clear structures and ensures transparent governance.

Theoretically, it is possible for WU Vienna to dissolve the foundation. In this case, the foundation’s assets would be returned to WU Vienna, with the mandatory requirement that the funds be used exclusively for charitable purposes.

The WU Foundation does not have any direct effects on WU Vienna’s regular operations. The foundation serves as an additional funding vehicle, allowing WU to finance extra projects that are not covered by the global budget that the university receives from the government.

The main bodies of the WU Foundation are the board of directors, the supervisory board, and the Budget and Finance Committee. The composition of these panels mirrors that of the corresponding WU Vienna governance bodies.

The members of the board of directors are identical to the members of the Rector’s Council, and the members of the supervisory board are identical to the members of the University Board. The WU Senate Committee responsible for financial affairs is composed of the same members as the WU Foundation’s Budget and Finance Committee. According to its Articles of Association, the WU Foundation has the option of establishing an advisory board that advises the board of directors on the fulfillment of the foundation’s purposes, but as yet, no advisory board has been set up.

This is because close coordination between the bodies of the foundation and WU Vienna is essential. Therefore, having the same people on the corresponding governance bodies is the most efficient and transparent solution for managing the WU Foundation.

This also ensures that the members of the board of directors and the supervisory board are appointed in accordance with the provisions of the Universities Act. This ensures transparency and guarantees that the WU Foundation is guided by the responsibilities and areas of activity of WU Vienna, as specified in the Universities Act.

In a nutshell: The WU Foundation’s primary purpose is promoting excellent projects and activities in the fields of research, teaching, and the Third Mission (pursuant to § 3 of the Articles of Association of the WU Foundation).

The assets of the WU Foundation consist of the assets allocated to the foundation at the time of its establishment (basic assets), cash and in-kind contributions from the founders and third parties, and the income generated by the foundation’s assets.

The foundation's assets are held in the form of cash and securities and also include a property in Vienna’s 19th district, the former University of World Trade. Stakeholdings in WU-related start-ups, which are managed by a separate investment company (WU Ignite Ventures), also make up a small part of the foundation’s assets.

With the WU Foundation, WU Vienna is taking the tried-and-true route of relying on a university foundation to ensure efficient long-term financing for its activities. By taking this approach, WU Vienna follows widely used international financing models for universities.

This gives companies, foundations, organizations, and private individuals the opportunity to support WU Vienna in the long term and make a lasting impact.

In addition, the required compliance with all applicable legal requirements and the WU By-Laws ensures that the use of the funds is always governed by clear and transparent structures.

As a public university, WU Vienna is generally government funded in its regular operations. The WU Foundation thefore only funds projects and activities that go beyond WU’s regular operations.

The amount available each year depends on the foundation’s assets, expected returns on investments, financial market developments, and the projects to be funded. Currently, the WU Foundation provides approximately €1,500,000 to WU Vienna each year.

WU Vienna relies on government funding, in the form of a global budget. In addition, WU’s activities are also funded from project-related grants and various types of third-party funding, e.g. research funding grants, corporate partnerships, donations, and sponsorship agreements.

The board of directors and the supervisory board make the decisions about what the WU Foundation’s income is to be used for.

The supervisory board and the foundation’s auditor are responsible for monitoring the appropriate use of the donations. The WU Foundation is also subject to oversight by the Austrian Court of Audit.

Starting 2026, the WU Foundation will publish an annual report on its activities and the use of its funds on its web pages.

Austria’s public universities receive their basic funding from the government, and this system works very well for covering all basic academic activities. But the race for knowledge is global, and it requires substantial financial resources. To keep up, WU must become even better, more ambitious, and more entrepreneurial in its outlook, its ideas, and in everything it does. However, it’s frequently a lack of funding that holds us back.

As a donor, you can make a difference and help shape the future of WU Vienna.

Thanks to the Austrian education system, many WU graduates have been able to build successful careers based on the excellent university education they have received.

With your donation, you can help ensure that future generations also get to benefit from a first-class education. At the same time, you will be supporting WU Vienna, allowing it to keep advancing research and teaching, keep promoting young talent, and keep innovating to stay on top of future developments. The WU Foundation ensures that every donation is put to use where it can make the biggest impact.

Donations are very welcome from any private individual or legal entity who would like to support WU Vienna!

The identity of the donors must be known to the board of directors, but the names of the donors are only published with their express consent.

We also accept in-kind donations if we can ensure that the WU Foundation can use these gifts for the appropriate purposes. In such cases, the board of directors decides whether it is possible to accept the in-kind donation in question.

Both options are possible: You can donate money to WU Vienna or to the WU Foundation. Whether a donation goes to the WU Foundation or directly to WU Vienna depends on the donor’s preference. Feel free to reach out to the Corporate & Alumni Relations team for advice and to find out which option is best suited for you.

No matter if you donate to the WU Foundation or directly to WU Vienna, either way you help WU Vienna push forward, and above a certain amount, you can earmark your donation for a specific purpose.

Donations to the WU Foundation have a lasting, indirect impact. They are typically used for making investments that generate money for funding specific university activities.

Donations to WU Vienna have an immediate, short-term impact. Usually, the full amount is spent right away on some immediate purpose.

Donations to the WU Foundation and to WU Vienna are tax deductible. The Corporate & Alumni Relations team will be happy to provide you with more detailed information on tax deductibility.

In accordance with the foundation’s Articles of Association, all financial contributions to the WU Foundation are used in accordance with the foundation’s purpose, and all contributions to WU Vienna are used to fulfill the university’s statutory tasks (research, teaching, Third Mission). The foundation’s board of directors and supervisory board decide on the specific projects to be funded when they set the annual budget.

For larger donations, it is possible to earmark donations to the WU Foundation and donations to WU Vienna for specific purposes. Feel free to reach out to the Corporate & Alumni Relations team for detailed information on such arrangements.

With your donation, you are making an important contribution to the advancement of science, research, and our society! Your donation allows us to fund research, teaching, and Third Mission activities for our students, faculty, and researchers that go beyond what is possible as part of WU’s regular operations.

With the funds provided by the WU Foundation, we are able launch and roll out innovative teaching projects, creating additional opportunities for learning and growth for our students, above and beyond what is possible as part of WU’s regular teaching activities.

The WU Foundation also promotes community-building activities to strengthen a sense of connectedness and belonging among WU students – from the beginning of their studies to well beyond graduation.

Direct applications to the WU Foundation are not possible. The foundation provides funding for projects in the areas of research, teaching, and Third Mission indirectly, through earmarked payouts to WU Vienna. Applications and project management are therefore handled by WU Vienna.

The question of who can file funding applications depends on the nature and content of the project. The relevant requirements, contacts, and application procedures are therefore specified separately for the various types of projects and published by the Rector’s Council or the appropriate WU service units.

Additional funds can be provided to WU researchers to finance research and teaching activities. These funds make it possible to carry out projects that go beyond what is possible with WU’s basic government funding alone, strengthening research and teaching excellence and WU’s international competitiveness.

• Our purpose: Supporting excellent research, teaching, and Third Mission projects

• Financing: Long-term investments and payouts to WU Vienna

• Donations: Donations are tax-deductible, can be earmarked for specific purposes, and can be made by companies, foundations, organizations, and private individuals

• Governance: Board of directors, supervisory board, Budget and Finance Committee, subject to oversight by an auditing firm and the Austrian Court of Audit

• Benefits for WU students, researchers, and faculty: Additional projects, innovative teaching formats, community and network building

• Transparency: Annual reports published on the WU Foundation web pages starting 2026