Federal Minister Holzleitner visits Rotholz: Important milestone for “KIZ Alpin” and launch of the OHASIS PhD Collaboration Program

OHASIS: First Milestone for the planned KIZ Alpin

The University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni), together with the Medical University Innsbruck, the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, and the Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck, is launching an interdisciplinary PhD program called OHASIS. The goal is to develop joint solutions for human, animal, and environmental health in the Alpine region. The official launch took place today in Tyrol in the presence of Minister of Science Eva-Maria Holzleitner, who has also assumed patronage of the collaborative PhD program.

OHASIS stands for “One Health for the Alpine Region: Solutions and Innovation in Science” and brings together renowned experts from Austria and Italy who, together with PhD students, will address key issues related to zoonoses, the dynamics of infectious diseases, antibiotic and fungal resistance, food microbiomics, mountain agronomy, agroecology, and public veterinary services. The first nine PhD positions will begin this November.

OHASIS also marks an important milestone in another Vetmeduni initiative called KIZ Alpin.

Vetmeduni Initiative KIZ Alpin

Vetmeduni is working to relocate its existing branch in Innsbruck to the Rotholz Campus in Strass im Zillertal. The Center of Excellence and Innovation for One Health in the Alpine Region (KIZ Alpin) is to be established there. The feasibility study conducted by the Federal Real Estate Company (BIG) confirms the site’s high potential as well as the feasibility of the relocation. The campus is already home to the Higher Federal Teaching and Research Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition as well as Food and Biotechnology (HBLFA Tirol) and the Rotholz State Agricultural College (LLA). In addition to the existing excellent infrastructure, the campus’s expansion is supported by its connection to the public transportation network (the Westbahn line, the Zillertalbahn, and two bus routes) as well as its proximity to the Inntal Autobahn.

Minister of Science Visits Rotholz

During a visit by Minister of Science Eva-Maria Holzleitner to Rotholz, BIG Executive Director Christine Dornaus, the presidents of the universities participating in OHASIS – Matthias Gauly (Vetmeduni), Gert Mayer (Medical University Innsbruck), Alex Weissensteiner (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano), and Veronika Sexl (Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck) – as well as HBLFA Director Ronald Zecha and LLA Director Josef Stoll. They emphasized the close connection between human, animal, and environmental health and the potential arising from this collaboration. The goal of this cross-border collaboration is to develop systemic, interdisciplinary solutions at the local and regional levels in response to global health challenges.

The potential significance of KIZ Alpin for Tyrol as a research hub and its positive impact on veterinary care in the Alpine region were also highlighted.

 

Federal Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner: “For me, ‘cooperation instead of parochialism’ is more than just a slogan. It’s the mindset with which we shape science policy! What is beginning today in Rotholz shows what becomes possible when institutions work together across university and state boundaries. Four universities from two states, working together with local agricultural educational institutions: that is solidarity in action within the scientific community. And that is exactly what we need to solve the major challenges of our time. With OHASIS and the first nine PhD positions, we are laying an important foundation for the KIZ Alpin today!”
 

Vetmeduni Rector Matthias Gauly: “The KIZ Alpin project is a forward-looking initiative for us. It represents a topic that will increasingly occupy us in research, teaching, and economic practice: One Health. After all, the health of humans, animals, and the environment are closely intertwined, as this year’s drought in the Alpine region has so vividly demonstrated. An important milestone for KIZ Alpin is the OHASIS PhD collaboration program, which is set to launch soon. We are delighted about this joint project with the Medical University Innsbruck, the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, and the Leopold-Franzens-University of Innsbruck.”

BIG Managing Director Christine Dornaus: “At BIG, we see our mission as proactively developing existing sites and adapting them to meet new university requirements. With the planned relocation of Vetmeduni to Rotholz, we are making sensible use of existing infrastructure and space, thereby repurposing vacant property for a new, forward-looking use. This is not only an important contribution to the development of our real estate portfolio but also lays the foundation for a strong science and research hub in Tyrol. We are particularly pleased that KIZ Alpin is creating a place where research, teaching, and practice interact directly.”
 

HBLFA Tyrol Director Ronald Zecha and LLA Rotholz Director Josef Stoll: “Together with Vetmeduni, our Rotholz campus is evolving into an Alpine center of excellence for agriculture and livestock, nutrition, and veterinary medicine. It will set international standards because only here do education, university and non-university research, and practical application come together under one roof. The substantive and synergistic collaboration between the institutions in Rotholz has already led to exceptional efficiency and quality, which will be further enhanced through our partnership with Vetmeduni. We are eager to see what ideas and initiatives will emerge when our students and those from Vetmeduni meet daily in the barn or over lunch.”