The Austrian Ambassador to Kosova, Georg Schnetzer, commended the strong and enduring relationship between the University of Prishtina and Austrian universities during a meeting with Rector Arben Hajrullahu. He emphasized that many professors at the University of Prishtina had pursued their education in Austria.

The connections between the University of Prishtina and Austrian institutions were praised for their durability and depth. Notably, universities such as those in Graz and Vienna were among the first to admit Kosovan students during the 1990s.

Rector Hajrullahu, himself a former Kosovan student educated in Austria, shared with Ambassador Schnetzer that he had spent a decade of his formative years studying at Austrian universities.

Ambassador Schnetzer expressed his delight at the University of Prishtina’s signing of a memorandum of cooperation with the Austrian ShER Program (Higher Education and Sustainable Research in Kosova). Rector Hajrullahu acknowledged the significant work to be done with the ShER Program, including aligning documents with the new Statute of the University of Prishtina. The memorandum was signed on November 8, 2024.

Future projects were also discussed during the meeting. One proposal suggested that the University of Prishtina collaborate with the Technical University of Vienna in the field of digital humanities, with a focus on advancing technology and digital policies rooted in human rights, democracy, inclusion, and diversity.

The support of Austria and its educational institutions for the education of Kosovans spans centuries, beginning during the Ottoman Empire and continuing to the present day.

On October 30, Rector Arben Hajrullahu participated in a conference organized by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, with support from the Austrian project “Enabling Income Generation for the Poor” (EnInGeP). The primary goal of the project is to develop a sustainable private sector that creates jobs and income for vulnerable and impoverished groups in Kosova. At the conference, Rector Hajrullahu spoke about the connection between the labor market, the private economy, and university studies.

On November 4, Rector Hajrullahu attended the Vienna Economic Summit, where representatives from the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development discussed support for universities in member states, including Kosova.