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From A for Academic Staff Model to W for Works Council: On this page you will find important and helpful information about your employer TU Graz. This information and further links should serve as an initial orientation guide, especially during your initial period at TU Graz.
A
The academic staff model illustrates the possibilities to gain specialised scientific knowledge or increase career options at TU Graz in a transparent manner. This model largely regulates all employment relationships with academic staff, which were formed after 2003. It is in accordance with the provisions of the collective agreement for university staff and, for this reason, allows for two types of career: those gradually leading to a Full Professor position and those leading to a Senior Scientist or Senior Lecturer position. Detailed information on this topic can be found in the employment agreement for the academic staff model, which can be found in TU4U.
The Service Point for Accessible Working provides information and raises awareness among employees and managers about the topic of work and disability including, for instance, disabled beneficiaries, accessible work place, funding opportunities, and legal questions.
The Service Point for Accessible Learning is the point of contact for employees and lecturers of TU Graz, providing information regarding the support of students with disabilities/impairments/illnesses (e.g. adaptation of examination modalities or lectures, work aids, and personal assistance).
The personal accounts are secured by a 2nd factor (2FA). This must be set up by all employees. Support is available from the IT-Support.
If a staff member would like to take another form of employment (receiving additional income of more than € 730/year according to the Austrian Income Tax Act) and/or work in the management or on the executive, supervisory, or administrative board of a profit-oriented legal entity outside TU Graz, they must report this to the Personnel Department using the Additional Employment form.
If the staff member is no longer additionally employed, they must also inform the Personnel Department in writing in a timely manner.
The appraisal interview ensures that a (structured) dialogue takes place between employees and their managers. During these confidential conversations, topics can be discussed that are not usually addressed during normal work days. The appraisal interview is mandatory for all staff, irrespective of whether they receive funding from the global budget or a third party.
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TU Graz staff can take advantage of numerous benefits, which are communicated by the Works Councils. Details and more information can be found in TU4U.
Business cards designed according to the corporate design of TU Graz can be ordered from the Purchasing Service with the approval of the manager or supervisor.
The Research & Technology House acts as a contact point for companies in all sectors and of all sizes (including start-ups), and its staff advises scientists on project formats and funding opportunities. A key account management function has been set up for strategic business partners, currently represented by Siemens, AVL and Magna Steyr.
In addition, the Career Info Service manages the website career.tugraz.at, which hosts a company job platform (fee required) for advanced students and graduates.
In order to take an official or a business trip, staff need to submit an electronic travel authorisation, which is confirmed in terms of employment by the supervisor and, if necessary, budgetary by an authorised project manager. Staff are only covered by university insurance during the trip if this form has been completely filled out and approved.
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Due to its steady growth, TU Graz is spread out over several campus locations. These are:
- The Campus Alte Technik all around Rechbauerstraße,
- The Campus Neue Technik from Kopernikusgasse to Petersgasse and
- The Campus Inffeldgasse as the newest and currently largest TU Graz Campus all along Inffeldgasse.
In addition, detailed plans (maps, building plans, room plans etc.) can be found in TUGRAZonline under the electronic business card of the respective organisational unit, under “Rooms” in the area of “Resources”.
For the care of sick close relatives (joint household not required) as well as persons who are sick in the same household (without a close family relationship), to care for a child and to accompany a child during a hospital stay, care leave can be applied for if necessary, after informing your supervisor(s).
You can find more information about the prerequisites for claiming care leave as well as how to apply in SAP Fiori under “Abwesenheit erfassen, Pflegefreistellung”.
Different types of childcare are offered at TU Graz:
The public childcare facility nanoversity, located on TU Graz property, offers full- and half-day childcare with four crèche (nursery) groups for children aged 0 to 3 and three childcare groups for children aged 3 to 6.
The children of TU Graz employees and students are given priority, although spaces may only be filled once they become available. In the nanoversity, an emphasis is placed on technology and the natural sciences, and the children are educated in a gender- and diversity-sensitive way.
The nanoversity also accommodates Fleki, a flexible childcare programme. This provides special childcare service for TU Graz members. Children aged 0 to 12 receive flexible childcare, measured by the hour, equivalent to at most 18 hours/week of supervision.
During the summer holidays, when schools are closed, TU Graz members’ children (aged 1 to 8) can take advantage of a varied and exciting summer programme on the Fleki premises. This care can be booked on a weekly basis, for half or full days. The tariffs are staggered according to social criteria.
The TU Graz cloud is a central component of all file-based internal workflows and is also suitable for external collaborations. Employees can jointly edit files in the TU Graz Cloud, e.g. using OnlyOffice or sign them using mobile phone signature. Many other apps offer various possibilities for use and collaboration. Students can also use the cloud in the context of teaching (Moodle integration).
TU Graz cloud (in German)
The collective agreement for university employees was enacted on 1 Oct. 2009 and applies to all staff who joined the university after 1 Jan. 2004, as well as all third-party funded staff as of 1 Jan. 2004. The collective agreement is an important legal document that not only provides the university staff with the necessary job security in the form of collective agreements and makes the formation of employment agreements possible, but also contains key content for transparent career models.
The compliance policy determines the principles for a fair, lawfully and responsible behaviour at TU Graz and applies to all employees.
Computer glasses are special visual aids that can be used to provide the necessary protection while working at a visual display unit (VDU) workstation. These are intended exclusively for use in the workplace and are not for everyday use. Staff who spend on average more than two hours (continuously) or three hours during the working day on a VDU workstation can request a refund for the purchase cost of computer glasses by completing the application form available.
The TU Graz corporate design is setting the fundamental rules for the university’s visual profile, such as:
- Versions of the TU Graz logo (e.g. colours, versions, sizes)
- How other logos are presented (e.g. institutional logos, partner logos)
- The TU Graz slogan
- Typefaces (font families) and wording
- Guidelines for web design and printed materials (e.g. official documents, presentations, cover sheets, brochures, posters)
To help you create original documents, the Communications and Marketing Service Department provides communication and marketing templates as well as instructions. Furthermore, it offers advice and support if you have specific questions.
Templates and Corporate Design (in German)
The corporate wording guideline of TU Graz sets out the principles for language use at our university. The style guide is designed as a useful source of reference for all TU Graz employees.
It includes the English and German spellings of institutes and service departments, templates for absence notifications and email signatures, short texts about TU Graz, and recommendations for gender-inclusive language. The guideline serves as an aid when there is uncertainty about spelling and translations.
Corporate wording guideline (in German)
By completing course evaluations, students are given the opportunity to evaluate individual courses and give personal feedback to the lecturers. The purpose of the evaluations is to promote communication between the lecturers and students. In addition, the evaluation results can be used to identify unusual courses, to develop clear measures for improvement together with the lecturers and review their effectiveness after a specific period of time.
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Data protection is an essential topic at TU Graz, which must be considered in student and personnel management, research activities and funding management, contact databases, events and public relations, etc. The Data Protection Coordination at TU Graz provides support and is the first point of contact for assertion of data subject rights, in the data breach process, as well as for matters concerning data protection training for employees and the processing directory.
The dean's office of each faculty is the main contact point for all faculty administrative and organisational matters and, thus, facilitates communication among students, lecturers or deans of studies and university representatives. The employees working in the dean's office provide information about the current curricula and ensure that the diploma and doctoral examinations run smoothly. The faculties’ personnel and budgetary matters are also handled by the dean’s office together with the dean of the faculty.
Service departments, Staff units, Representative bodies and Dean’s Offices (in German)
TU Graz offers (status WS 24/25) 19 Bachelor and 36 Master programmes as well as two subjects in lecturer training. Some postgraduate courses in the field of engineering and natural sciences are also offered.
PhD students complete their doctoral studies as part of a Doctoral School. There is one Doctoral School for each subject area. As part of the international scientific community of their Doctoral School, these students can regularly exchange information about their research project with renowned TU Graz scientists and other students in their respective fields. This is an essential component of optimal supervision in the dissertation project.
Doctoral Schools (in German)
At TU Graz, a doctorate is awarded after successfully completing an appropriate (doctoral) degree programme. Currently, two doctoral programmes have been established for this purpose:
- Doctoral Programme in Technical Sciences
- Doctoral Programme in Natural Sciences
The process of admission to these doctoral programmes is carried out by the rectorate, provided that the admission requirements pursuant to §§ 63 ff UG have been met.
The Coordination Office for Doctoral Studies is also a point of contact for doctoral students.
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TU Graz provides a broad range of e-learning services. The TeachCenter (https://tc.tugraz.at) is a web-based teaching and learning platform that lecturers can use to distribute documents to their students in compliance with GDPR and copyright. The platform also offers other functions such as an online submission and group assignments.
In addition, TU Graz hosts its own video portal (https://tube.tugraz.at) and a MOOC platform for freely accessible online courses (https://imoox.at).
You can also contact the Educational Technology Service Department for help with content conversion, for example, in the form of educational videos or interactive learning objects or to receive media didactic education in the form of regularly-offered training courses. You can also find information on the wide range of offers at https://telucation.tugraz.at, our virtual collection folder for your digital lessons.
TU Graz, represented by the heads of the organisational units, ensures the safety and health of its employees and complies with worker protection regulations in accordance with the Safety and Protection of Health at Work Act. This area addresses, for instance, questions about employee safety including the evaluation and assessment of hazards and stresses at workplaces, accident prevention, and occupational health care for employees.
Employment Protection (in German)
The Working Group for Equal Opportunities (AkG) offers information and support for all students and employees of TU Graz as well as for all applicants. In case of discrimination, sexual harassment or mobbing, you can contact the office of the AkG confidentially and anonymously if you wish. The AkG also accompanies all personnel admission procedures at TU Graz. The members are free to act without being bound to directives while carrying out their functions and treat all matters as confidential. The goal is the equal treatment of all university members without distinction of gender, race/ethnicity, religion or belief, age or sexual orientation. Legal bases are a.o. the Federal Equal Treatment Act as well as the Affirmative Action Plan and the Women’s Advancement Plan of TU Graz.
In order to emphasize its commitment to social responsibility, TU Graz has set up two committees. The Commission for Scientific Integrity (CSI) addresses cases of suspected scientific or artistic misconduct, focusing on issues related to the past. The Ethics Committee, on the other hand, is more future-oriented. It provides assessments and advice on ethical issues and works to raise awareness for such issues. Its primary responsibility is evaluating the ethical justifiability of research projects (ethics vote).
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Research and teaching take place at approximately 100 institutes at TU Graz. These institutes are organised according to their subject area into the following seven faculties:
- Faculty of Architecture
- Faculty of Civil Engineering Sciences
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Economic Sciences
- Faculty of Electrical and Information Engineering
- Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Geodesy
- Faculty of Technical Chemistry, Chemical and Process Engineering, Biotechnology
- Faculty of Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering
The five Fields of Expertise represent the five trend-setting areas of research conducted at TU Graz:
- Advanced Materials Science
- Human & Biotechnology
- Information, Communication & Computing
- Mobility & Production
- Sustainable Systems
The researchers in the FoEs work together in an interdisciplinary manner and benefit from the opportunities to learn different approaches and methods as well as shared resources. Within the FoEs, TU Graz's internal grants, such as initial financing for filing applications, are competitively awarded. Moreover, the FoEs also provide the possibility to network and to cooperate. Researchers of the TU Graz can assign themselves to a FoE by sending an e-mail to foe@tugraz.at.
TU Graz encourages its staff to take advantage of the numerous offers for the development of an international career and language skills. Therefore, all employees of TU Graz are invited to apply for funding for teaching and/or research stays as well as further training abroad.
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All staff are entitled to holiday/vacation leave. This is usually 200 hours per calendar year in cases of full employment and should be consumed as entire days. The holiday/vacation leave should be discussed with the supervisor and then booked in SAP Fiori.
Home office offers flexible job opportunities and is regulated by employment agreements as well as the Home Office agreement. Home Office days must be reported in SAP Fiori at regular intervals for the employee tax assessment.
Homeoffice (in German)
In addition to offering in-house training, the Human Resource Development Service Department supports TU Graz staff by promoting their personal and professional development, helping them meet their current and future professional needs and expand their potentials. This is accomplished by offering individual consultation and target group-specific initiatives such as coaching, conflict management, career development and future skills development programmes, as well as mentoring, which is an initiative designed for academic staff.
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Every semester, employees have the opportunity to attend seminars and further training courses of interest to them from a comprehensive range of continuing education courses.
The topics include:
- Working at TU Graz
- Occupational Health & Safety Management
- Finance
- Research & Teaching
- Languages & Intercultural Competence
The offer can be accessed each semester via the tile ‘In-House Training” in TUGRAZonline.
Valuable information about procedures, services and other useful facts can be found in TU4U and the TU Graz Gazette (Mitteilungsblatt), as well as the following media:
- Dialog@TU Graz: The rectorate invites all staff to this information and dialogue event in regular intervals.
- TU Graz people: Two times per semester, this magazine for TU Graz staff and others reports university news and includes stories on current projects, important events and interesting people. Alternating to the print version of the magazine (as well as the e-paper), a newsletter is also published.
- TU Graz newsflash: The electronic newsletter for TU Graz staff, which is published every two weeks, contains news and dates in a short and precise format, including links to further information in TU4U.
- TU Graz memo: This monthly e-mail-newsletter contains must-have-information for managers and secretariats to help them fulfilling their management and administrative tasks.
- News: The TU Graz online news portal reports the latest and most interesting news from TU Graz.
- TU Graz Blog: The TU Graz blog contains service contributions on topics within research, teaching, internationalisation and career.
- TU Graz research: This bilingual research journal (also available as an e-paper) is issued twice per year and provides a broad target group consisting of both internal and external members with information about current research activities at TU Graz.
- TU Graz research monthly: This monthly bilingual research newsletter contains selected articles and recommended events regarding current research topics at TU Graz.
- Talk Science To Me (in German): The TU Graz science podcast consists of interviews with researchers, in which curious questions on their research areas are posed.
- I Spy Science (in German): Exciting research topics explained by TU Graz scientists (video series)
- F&T News: The newsletter of the Research & Technology House (F&T-Haus) covers topics relevant to on-site research and includes current announcements of grants, prizes and scholarships.
To help new international employees integrate into their working environment, the TU Graz Welcome Center offers expert advice and targeted support, providing answers to general questions about life in Austria and specific questions regarding housing, entry and residency, family matters, networking and social integration. In order to provide support for this process, helpful checklists for international staff are available on the Welcome Center website.
Austrian universities have acquisition rights to job-related inventions made by their staff. Therefore, TU Graz staff must report their inventions as soon as they have been developed to the Rectorate through the Research & Technology House. If the patent is purchased, TU Graz bears all costs. If the patient is exploited, the inventors, the respective institute and workplace in which the invention will be used, as well as TU Graz share the net revenues.
Analogous regulations exist for software and biological material.
Exploitation in the course of a spin-off (company formation based on a service invention) is also possible and is supported.
To address current IT threats, mandatory security awareness trainings must be conducted annually. These trainings provide knowledge for a secure digital working environment and can be found in the TU Graz TeachCenter under ‘IT-Security-Schulung’.
All services provided by the Service Department Central Information Technology (ZID) are listed on the homepage mentioned below. These include e-mail service, network and internet access, computer work stations, IT security systems, recordings of courses, software licenses for research and teaching, server housing, high-performance computing, application development and operation, and requirements management.
The TU Graz IT-Support is the first point of contact for IT issues such as account, e-mail, WLAN or VPN.
IT-Support (in German)
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TU Graz provides numerous offers of support for managers that can help them deal with challenges at work. These include:
- After Work Leadership Forum
- Advanced Leadership Programme
- Management Development Programme
- Expert Leadership Programme
- Coaching
Professional expertise and financial support are provided by the Human Resource Development Department.
Leadership Programmes (in German)
Academic staff may file a request for a leave of absence for a paid period of up to one month for research and/or teaching purposes or to attend a conference. The application for this leave of absence is filed in SAP Fiori.
The University Library offers research and teaching staff at TU Graz a wide range of information resources and advice on research, literature acquisition and publication through the TU Graz University Press.
The University Library has three branches on all campus areas at the university:
- Main Library (“Alte Technik“)
- Specialised Library NAWI (“Neue Technik“)
- Specialised Library Inffeld (“Campus Inffeldgasse“)
Members of TU Graz can borrow media by using their TU Graz card. The library is happy to accept suggestions for purchases or to obtain literature not available locally using interlibrary loan. A large part of the collection is available electronically around the clock (international databases, e-journals, e-books, standards). The citation management programs Citavi and Mendeley can be fully used on the campus locations.
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The numerous restaurants, bistros, cafeterias and canteens at various locations on the TU Graz campuses offer all sorts of meals. Each week, you can view the menu plans offered by these establishments via TU4U.
Members of the Media Service team are the main contacts for employees of TU Graz with interesting topics for the public, for journalists, they scout out interview partners and support TU Graz members in their public relations work. The team composes press releases on current university topics, organises press conferences and answers questions from media representatives. The contact person at the TU Graz Media Service is the press officer or the deputies.
Media Relations (in German)
TU Graz mentoring is an initiative for academic staff, which allows them to receive support during their personal and professional development from an experienced mentor, either right after starting to work at TU Graz or during the period of their employment. Mentors from all faculties have volunteered to pass on their knowledge to young scientists and new professors.
Possible topics in mentoring include:
- Career development
- The challenge of the “Habilitation“
- Work-life balance
- Dealing with performance pressure
- Onboarding – Positioning yourself at TU Graz
The mobility concept developed by TU Graz has been applied in such a way that TU Graz staff can take advantage of attractive offers under certain conditions. For example, staff can acquire high-quality TU Graz bicycles for low prices, take advantage of a commuter subsidy after purchasing a public transport ticket (“Klimaticket”), or get a parking permit on campus (if vacancies are available). Furthermore, TU Graz offers an annual free bicycle check at the beginning of the cycling season.
Mobility Concept (in German)
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NAWI Graz (short for "Natural Sciences Graz") is a comprehensive cooperation since 2004 between TU Graz and the University of Graz. It bundles both houses’ expertise in Bioscience, Chemistry, Earth, Space and Environmental Sciences, Mathematics and Physics. Main fields of action are teaching (e.g. joint study programmes), research (e.g. common central labs) and organisation (e.g. planned merging of areas into centres across the universities). NAWI Graz has greatly facilitated cooperation and thus strengthened the scientific location of Graz as well as increased its international visibility.
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In order to provide financial support for authors there is an extensive range of funding available to support authors financially in Open Access publishing. Open Access publishing agreements have been concluded with renowned scientific publishers. If no publishing agreement exists for a journal, an application for funding of articles in Open Access journals can be submitted.
The organisation chart illustrates the organisational structure of the university and, thus, the seven faculties and dean’s offices, university management, representatives of the TU Graz members, ethics commissions, service departments and staff units and interdisciplinary research areas such as the Fields of Expertise.
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In addition to the statutory retirement (pension) insurance, TU Graz also contributes to the retirement provision for its employees, depending on the employment contract, in the form of a pension fund. TU Graz pays pension fund contributions to the VBV-Pensionskassen AG for its staff who are employed through university collective agreements and have worked continuously for more than 24 months.
Exceptions include minimally-employed staff and apprentices. The particular benefits of the pension insurance system include the retirement pension, reduced capacity to work pension, invalid’s pension and widow’s pension.
An information and service location has been set up in the porter's lodge on each TU Graz-campus. The staff of the information and service locations can, among other things, provide help with the following:
- Access to rooms
- Lost property
- Guest registration for access to closed areas
- Acceptance of mail and distribution to the organisational units
- Emergency calls from accessible toilets
Porters and Security Service (in German)
The manual defines tasks, responsibilities, representatives and powers of attorney of members of the management. It also includes the guidelines for handling and authorizing research projects (§§26, 27 UG).
As soon a TU Graz staff member receives a confirmation that they are pregnant and the expected date of birth from their doctor, they should communicate this information to their supervisor and submit a copy of the confirmation document to the Personnel Department. The Personnel Department will then send more information in writing about maternity protection and parental leave.
The TU Graz in-house Print Service provides staff with the opportunity to receive printing services of all kinds for professional purposes. Their services include the production of large print-runs such as books or lecture notes, large-format printing up to DIN A0 format, scanning of maps or blueprints up to DIN A0 format, or inserting materials in envelopes.
Procurement at TU Graz must be handled via the SAP Fiori ordering platform, provided that the goods or services are available there. The procurement policy ensures that expenditure is economical, transparent, and compliant with the law.
Procurement (in German)
The Research & Technology House offers a comprehensive portfolio of services to help staff develop research projects professionally. These services include giving advice during the acquisition and processing of research grants, assisting with project reports, handling financial and administrative matters related to research projects, providing project management support during project organisation, establishing project plans, as well as providing support during the conception and moderation of project (start-up) workshops.
Projects (in German)
PURE is TU Graz’s publications database, which is used to record scientific publications, lectures, activities and presentations for viewing by external parties. The library staff provides technical support and information about copyrights, as well as guides and educates all PURE users through instructions, video tutorials and personal advice.
PURE (in German)
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The TU Graz Rectorate is responsible for the management and public representation of the university. At the Vice-Rectorate level, four Vice-Rector positions have been established.
The members of the TU Graz Rectorate are:
- Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Horst Bischof (Rector)
- Mag.iur. Mag.rer.soc.oec. Mag.rer.soc.oec. Dr.iur. Andrea Hoffmann (Vice Rector for Human Resources and Finance)
- Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Stefan Vorbach (Vice Rector for Academic Affairs)
- Mag. Andrea Höglinger (Vice Rector for Research)
- Univ.-Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr.techn. Michael Monsberger (Vice Rector for Infrastructure and Sustainability)
University management (in German)
The person chosen to represent people with disabilities represents the interests of eligible staff with disabilities in consultation with the Works Council. In addition, this person provides information and counselling for affected persons as well as their executives, support with applications etc.
The library's RDM team provides researchers at TU Graz with tools and services in the field of research data management. The RDM team sees itself as a partner for researchers in the development of sustainable and future-oriented solutions for data-driven science.
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Each employee’s salary is transferred on the 15th of each month. The electronic copies of the salary payment slips and the annual salary statements can be viewed, downloaded, saved and printed as required via SAP Fiori. Travel expense statements can be called up directly in the travel expense management apps in SAP Fiori. In addition to the monthly salary, employees are entitled to a Holiday pay and Christmas pay (13th and 14th salary), which is paid on March 15, June 15, September 15 and November 15 of each year in form of a special payment equivalent to half the monthly salary.
SAP software is used at TU Graz to map business processes in the areas of finance and human resources management. SAP Fiori also enables employees to carry out certain activities themselves, depending on their authorization. For example, they can record absences and trips, report home office days or administrate the ordering process, invoices or transfer posting. Faculties, institutes, service departments, the management and staff units of TU Graz can use SAP and SAP Fiori. The SAP area is serviced and continuously developed by the SAP CCoE team.
SAP (in German)
In addition to the Rectorate and the University Council, the Senate is one of the three governing bodies of the university and represents a democratically elected body of representatives of all groups that belong to the university: academic staff, administrative staff and students. The main duties of the Senate fall into three fields: autonomy, education and quality assurance.
Senate (in German)
There are 27 service departments and staff units at TU Graz, which provide support for institutes and students with teaching, research and administration.
Service departments, Staff units, Representative bodies and Dean’s Offices (in German)
If you are not able to work due to illness, you must inform your supervisor as soon as possible. If your supervisor is not available, you must send a message to the secretary and the sick leave must be recorded in SAP Fiori.
In the case of long-term illnesses (lasting more than three working days), you must give your supervisor or the secretary a medical certificate, which you obtain from your physician, that provides a confirmation of your incapability to work and an estimation of the duration of the illness. The medical certificate must also be uploaded to SAP Fiori. In the case of short-term illnesses (lasting less than four working days), this confirmation only needs to be provided upon request.
Follow TU Graz on several social networks. The current list of the supported social media channels can be found at tugraz.at/en/go/follow. If employees need help learning how to create a professional presence in a network, they are welcome to contact Communications and Marketing.
The Statute of TU Graz describes the organs and functionalities of the university in terms of § 19 UG. It is agreed upon by the Senate on the basis of the Rectorate’s suggestions.
The TU Graz strategy is reflected in its mission, vision, key objectives and guiding principles. The Rectorate along with the University Council, Senate, faculties as well as the individual institutes were involved in the development of the strategy.
In order to promote student mobility, lecturers are asked to make their students aware of the various offers that allow them to study abroad, such as the semester abroad, internship programmes, Summer Schools and Blended Mobility Formats. By studying abroad through various programmes, students are given the opportunity to learn (more) about countries, cultures and other languages to broaden their perspectives and increase their chances on the labour market.
In addition to all its sustainability-related research and teaching activities, TU Graz set itself the goal of being climate-neutral by 2030. This means on the one hand, the rapid decarbonisation of electricity and heat consumption and on the other hand, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions associated with the buildings of TU Graz. In particular, every employee commuting to work is encouraged to switch to bicycles and public transport (or, if the use of a car is unavoidable: on electric cars). TU Graz promotes this switch and is continuously expanding the charging infrastructure for electric cars.
Prior to each business trip, its necessity and the possibility of teleconferencing should be checked, and trips within Europe should be made by train or long-distance bus whenever possible.
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With the Teaching Academy, TU Graz offers its teachers, in addition to a basic didactic training, the possibility of gaining higher qualifications in higher education didactics. Teachers can acquire a total of three module certificates, but they can also seek out individual continuing education courses and take advantage of consulting services independently of obtaining a certificate. All courses offered by the Teaching Academy are free of charge for TU Graz staff members and can be taken as part of the In-House Training programme.
The “Booklet: Teaching at TU Graz” contains over 80 FAQs about the legal and organisational framework of teaching at TU Graz. The booklet is available as a PDF download (German, English, accessible).
The TU4U intranet contains a collection of TU Graz-wide teaching standards, which supports lecturers in their teaching and study activities. All lecturers can use this collection as a reference and inform themselves about topics such as degree programmes, courses, examinations, graduation and services for lecturers.
Each TU Graz staff member can receive a TU Graz card by filing an application via their personal TUGRAZonline business card once they have entered the university. On the one hand, this serves as a photo ID for use in external facilities and, on the other hand, the embedded, RFID chip allows contactless access authorisation through certain doors, to parking spaces, and into the University Library. In addition, the TU Graz card can also be used by staff to receive discounts at companies that have made agreements with the Works Council (for example, reduced-price theatre tickets).
Staff can log in worldwide at tu4u.tugraz.at using their respective TUGRAZonline user names and access a comprehensive range of information, TU Graz services, as well as representative bodies for members of TU Graz – and much more. On the homepage, you can find a service area including campus news and current dates as well as news from other areas of TU Graz.
The menu is divided into thematic blocks and relevant forms, guidelines, processes and employment agreements, as well as statutes can be found there and are also available under Formulare & Downloads. The intranet for employees is partly available in two languages. TU4U for students, which can also be accessed by staff, contains important information about the degree programmes in German and English.
TUGRAZonline is the electronic student lifecycle system of TU Graz. It offers TU Graz members access to various applications, e.g. in the area of research and teaching (examination management, course offers, course surveys, R&D areas and projects, project registration processes, etc.) as well as for the management of various resources (account, e-mail address, password change, room booking, SAP Fiori, software licences, access authorisations, etc.).
After you register in TUGRAZonline, it is possible to view your personal electronic business card and design it personally with a photo. A variety of applications are available via this business card, which staff can use to carry out tasks as necessary in their field of activity.
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Since 2022, TU Graz has been part of Unite!, a network of nine European universities. The aim is to create a joint campus that transcends national borders. Unite! comprises around 230,000 students and 41,000 graduates annually – and opens up new opportunities for all TU Graz employees:
- Innovative teaching formats and exchange of best practices with international partners
- Collaborative research and innovation projects
- Flexible (often hybrid) training courses and language tandems
- Job shadowing, staff weeks and mobility programmes for new perspectives
- New opportunities to connect with colleagues at eight partner universities and professional exchange
Unite! (TU4U)
According to the Universities Act of 2002 (UG), Austrian universities are considered legal entities with all associated rights under public law. The organisational law, study law and personnel law were combined for the first time in the UG. Due to this law, all universities were removed from the jurisdiction of the federal administration and received as autonomous institutions free of instructions a three-year budget (global budget) funded by the public sector. A component of this budget is dependent on the achievement of the goals set upon in the performance agreement signed between the university und the Federal Ministry.
University Act (in German)
The University Council can consist of five, seven, or nine members (at TU Graz, it consists of seven members). It has a strategic function and performs a supervisory function similar to a management board. It is responsible for the election and dismissal of the Rectorate and its members. The strategic tasks of the University Council are related, above all, to the approval of the development plan, the determination of the internal university structure (organisation chart) and the creation of the drafts of the performance agreements.
University Council (in German)
The TU Graz Gazette, which is issued the first and third Wednesday of each month, includes all information regarding statutes, regulations, directives, important dates, all curricula, authorities, as well as open positions.
TU Graz Gazette (in German)
TU Graz University Press (also: Verlag der TU Graz) is associated with the University Library and supports TU Graz members in publishing their research results. TU Graz University Press promotes the principle of open access, and offers a part of its publications in a freely accessible online version.
TU Graz University Press (in German)
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In order to be able to use WiFi at TU Graz for the first time, staff need to establish a network access password. This password has to be set in TUGRAZonline by visiting your personal business card. A detailed guide can also be found in TU4U.
IT manuals employees (in German)
As a family-friendly university, TU Graz wants to help their staff find an appropriate balance between their families and their career/study programme. For this reason, TU Graz provides counselling and other offers for (expectant) parents and those that may need to request nursing care. Support for dual-career couples is also offered.
Work-Life Balance (in German)
According to the collective agreement for university employees (Univ-KV), the normal working time is 40 hours per week (in cases of full employment) for both academic and administrative staff. If the working day consists of more than six hours, a 30-minute break (or alternatively two 15-minute or three 10-minute breaks) is counted as working time.
Academic staff can freely choose the beginning and ending points of their working time, while taking any important official requirements into account. The administrative staff may choose to have either flexible working time (i.e. flexitime) or fixed working hours. Administrative staff must keep a record of their working hours.
A corresponding employment agreement has been concluded for academic and administrative staff, respectively.
Working time for academic staff
Working time for non-academic staff (in German)
The aim of Workplace Health Management is to prevent illness at the workplace, to strengthen health and to improve the well-being of employees. As part of this, numerous offers and activities are provided to strengthen the mental and physical health at work.
TU Graz has a Works Council for Academic Personnel and a Works Council for Administrative Personnel. The Works Council represents the interests of the staff in all issues related to employment law. The members of the Works Councils provide support for staff regarding collective and employment agreements, propose ways to improve working conditions and safety and both represent and mediate personnel matters. All employees' concerns are, of course, treated confidentially.
Works Council for academic personnel (in German)
Works Council for administrative personnel (in German)