{"id":17821,"date":"2025-12-30T11:35:46","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T10:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wu.ac.at\/?p=17821"},"modified":"2025-12-30T13:52:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T12:52:01","slug":"wu-matters-wu-talks-wrap-up-winter-term-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wu.ac.at\/en\/2025\/12\/wu-matters-wu-talks-wrap-up-winter-term-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"WU matters. WU talks. Wrap-Up Winter Term 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Big Questions, Smart Answers, and Plenty to Think About<\/strong><\/h3>\n

From geopolitical turbulence and artificial intelligence in banking to pensions, property prices, migration, energy transitions, ethics in leadership, and global hunger: the WU matters. WU talks.-series<\/a> <\/em>once again proved that the most pressing issues of our time are best tackled through open, evidence-based discussion and occasionally with a touch of dry academic humor.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Between October and December 2025, eight events brought leading experts from academia, policy, business, and international organizations to the Campus WU<\/a><\/em> (and screens everywhere via live stream). If you missed any of them or want to revisit the debates, we\u2019ve got you covered.<\/strong><\/p>\n

___________________________<\/p>\n

Quo vadis, Donald Trump? Taking stock a year into the second term.<\/h3>\n

15 October 2025 | Language: German<\/em><\/p>\n

One year into Donald Trump\u2019s second term, this opening event wasted no time diving into global uncertainty. Harald Oberhofer<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna & WIFO<\/a>) delivered a data-driven keynote on economic and geopolitical disruption.\u00a0In discussion with Eric Frey<\/strong><\/a> (Senior Editor at DER STANDARD<\/a>) and Velina Tchakarova<\/strong> (Founder of FACE<\/a>, geopolitical analyst), the panel examined what Trump\u2019s presidency means for democracy, markets, and Europe, and why volatility might be the new normal.<\/p>\n

🤓📖<\/strong>\u00a0Read the blog recap or watch the video<\/strong><\/a> 🍿📽️<\/strong><\/p>\n

___________________________<\/p>\n

🤖 Artificial Banking. Will AI soon decide on my loan?<\/h3>\n

22 October 2025 | Language: German<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cDear AI, please give me that loan!\u201d Easier said than approved. Kurt Hornik<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna) and Karin Turner-Hrdlicka<\/strong><\/a> (Director General at the ECB<\/a>) explained how algorithms are reshaping banking supervision and lending decisions.\u00a0A high-powered discussion with Gerda Holzinger-Burgstaller<\/strong><\/a> (CEO, Erste Bank \u00d6sterreich<\/a>) and Michael H\u00f6llerer<\/strong><\/a> (CEO, Raiffeisenlandesbank N\u00d6-Wien<\/a>), moderated by Stefan Pichler<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna), tackled transparency, bias, and the uncomfortable truth that AI can make mistakes; just faster.<\/p>\n

🤓📖<\/strong>\u00a0Read the blog recap or watch the video<\/strong><\/a>🍿📽️<\/strong><\/p>\n

___________________________<\/p>\n

⚡ Clean Energy. Local approaches and globally aligned action.<\/h3>\n

29 October 2025 | Language: English<\/em><\/p>\n

How do we build an energy system that is clean, secure, and economically viable? Kavita Surana<\/strong><\/a>, Head of WU\u2019s Institute for Data, Energy, and Sustainability, explored how innovation, policy, and investment can turn the energy transition into a driver of local prosperity.\u00a0Moderated by Axel Polleres<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna), the lecture connected global climate goals with very real infrastructure challenges.<\/p>\n

🤓📖<\/strong>\u00a0Read the blog recap or watch the video<\/strong><\/a> 🍿📽️<\/strong><\/p>\n

___________________________<\/p>\n

👵 Retiring at age 75? What pension reforms do we need?<\/h3>\n

5 November 2025 | Language: German<\/em><\/p>\n

Longer lives, fewer workers, and many uncomfortable policy questions. Martin Halla<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna) laid out the economic realities of pension systems under demographic pressure. Joined by Hanno Lorenz<\/strong><\/a> (Agenda Austria) and Barbara Schuster<\/strong><\/a> (Momentum Institute), and moderated by Karin Heitzmann<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna), the discussion made one thing clear: postponing reform won\u2019t make the math disappear.<\/p>\n

🤓📖<\/strong>\u00a0Read the blog recap or watch the video<\/strong><\/a> 🍿📽️<\/strong><\/p>\n

___________________________<\/p>\n

🏠 125 Years of Property Prices in Vienna. Is living in Vienna still affordable?<\/h3>\n

12 November 2025 | Language: German<\/em><\/p>\n

Using a century-spanning dataset of real estate transactions, Markus Lampe<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna), Kilian Rieder<\/strong><\/a>, and Karin Wagner<\/strong><\/a> (both OeNB) traced Vienna\u2019s housing prices since 1900. The panel, including wohnfonds_wien<\/strong><\/a>, housing associations, developers, and financial regulators, debated affordability, regulation, and financial stability, expertly moderated by Stefanie Peer<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna). Spoiler: the myth of \u201ccheap Vienna\u201d didn\u2019t go entirely unchallenged.<\/p>\n

🤓📖 <\/strong>Read the blog recap or watch the video<\/strong><\/a> 🍿📽️<\/strong><\/p>\n

___________________________<\/p>\n

🌍 Mythbusting Migration. No sustainable development without migration.<\/h3>\n

29 November 2025 | Language: English<\/em><\/p>\n

Few topics generate more heat \u2013 and less light \u2013 than migration. Milda \u017dilinskait\u0117<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna) delivered a keynote that dismantled common myths and reframed migration as a core component of sustainable development. With insights from Jes\u00fas Crespo Cuaresma<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna), Jason Gagnon<\/strong> (development economist), Aida Hajro<\/strong><\/a> (University of Leeds), and Judith Kohlenberger<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna), the discussion replaced fear with facts.<\/p>\n

🤓📖 <\/strong>Read the blog recap or watch the video<\/strong><\/a> 🍿📽️<\/strong><\/p>\n

___________________________<\/p>\n

🏆 Markets. Power. Ethics. WU Manager of the Year 2025.<\/h3>\n

10 December 2025 | Language: German<\/em><\/p>\n

Georg Kapsch<\/strong><\/a>, CEO of Kapsch TrafficCom AG, was named WU Manager of the Year 2025,<\/strong>\u00a0and used his keynote to reflect on leadership, innovation, and corporate responsibility. A discussion with Christopher Lettl<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna), Monika Kircher<\/strong><\/a>, and Franz Schellhorn<\/strong><\/a> (Agenda Austria<\/a>), moderated by Patricia Klarner<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna), explored where economic power ends and ethical responsibility begins.<\/p>\n

🤓📖<\/strong>\u00a0Read the recap or watch the video<\/strong><\/a> 🍿📽️<\/strong><\/p>\n

___________________________<\/p>\n

🍽️ The Hunger Emergency. Why we must act now<\/h3>\n

17 December 2025 | Language: English<\/em><\/p>\n

Closing the year on a sobering note, Arif Husain<\/strong><\/a> (UN World Food Programme<\/a>) addressed the growing global hunger crisis amid shrinking donor support. Introduced by Gerlinde Fellner-R\u00f6hling<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna) and moderated by Simon He\u00df<\/strong><\/a> (WU Vienna), the event highlighted policy options and urgent actions to protect the world\u2019s most vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n

🍿📽️<\/strong>👉 Watch on YouTube<\/strong> 🍿📽️👉\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n