WU became a research university in 1919. This means that WU has been carrying out research activities for 100 years now. On the occasion of this anniversary, we answered 100 questions you sent us during the past 12 months. The questions were submitted in writing or as video messages on 100jahreforschung.at. We picked the 100 best and most interesting questions, and each of them was answered by one of our 1,600 researchers.

We received over 200 questions in a wide range of different fields, from general business, economics, trade, and finance topics to important issues of our times such as sustainability, climate protection, and digitalization. Some of the questions also addressed key political developments of the day, for instance Brexit. Here are some of the questions we received:

• How much would Austria need to spend per capita to meet the Paris climate targets?

• Which kinds of jobs will still exist 30 years from now? Won’t all of us be replaced by robots and AI anyway?

• Are quotas for women a useful instrument for reducing gender inequality? How are they supposed to work?

• Why are our societies failing to reduce the gap between rich and poor?

• Who profits from the rampant discount wars we’re seeing in our supermarkets?

• Which products from the UK would become considerably more expensive in the event of a no-deal Brexit? Which sectors of the Austrian economy would be hit hardest?

Since the launch of 100jahreforschung.at, the platform has been visited by over 40,000 people who have engaged in a lively exchange between WU and society. On Facebook and Instagram, the campaign reached a total of 1.6 million users.

“WU is aware of its important role as Austria’s largest research institution for business and economics. In our research, we’re answering important questions related to these fields, and it is very important to us to share these answers with the people,” says WU Rector Edeltraud Hanappi-Egger. The questions also address two key areas the new WU Rector’s Council will focus on in its current term of office: digitalization and sustainability. As Rector Hanappi-Eggers points out, the strong interest in these topics confirms WU’s commitment to being a responsible university. “We are very pleased about the great response we received. This shows us that there is strong demand for fact-based knowledge and that our research topics really resonate with our times,” says Edeltraud-Hanappi-Egger.

The platform will remain online and serve as a source of information for interested visitors. Use the following link to view all the questions and answers:

All questions & answers