Integrity in Austrian higher education institutions

Integrity is a cornerstone of academic and artistic work. It forms the basis for public trust in higher education institutions and ensures quality in study programmes, teaching, and research. Since the amendment to the Austrian Act on Quality Assurance in Higher Education in 2024 (Section 2a HS-QSG), the establishment of a “culture of integrity” has been a central legal requirement that holds significance for positioning Austrian higher education institutions nationally and internationally as “ethical institutions” (ICAI).

AQ Austria supports higher education institutions in developing quality-assured, transparent and practical procedures and structures to promote academic or artistic integrity. In collaboration with partners such as the Austrian Agency for Academic Integrity (ÖAWI), our focus is on the comprehensive implementation of these values across the entire higher education sector.

On these pages, you will find:

• Information on the context and quality assurance processes regarding integrity in academic and artistic study, teaching, and research activities
• An overview of past and current activities of AQ Austria
• Results from the 2024 and 2025 annual conferences on the topic of integrity at Austrian higher education institutions
• Information on collaborations, networking and professional exchange