Research and laboratory operations

As already announced before Easter, the return to the university must be planned in stages, the next stage only concerns faculty employees and applies until 29 May. The plans made in the faculties in the past few days, in which all the relevant faculty employees were intensively involved, aim to enable everyone to access their workplaces from 4 May onwards. To ensure that physical contact is minimised, to keep the number of people who need to be quarantined in the event of infection as low as possible and to be able to ensure that sensitive areas remain staffed in case of illness, we have reduced the number of people who can be present at the same time by half. All individuals are permitted to spend a maximum of three days a week at the university and these three days are fixed for the next four weeks.

The following continue to apply:

• Continue to work from home wherever possible.
• Attendance only in compliance with appropriate protective measures.

Employees who are in the ‘at risk group’ as well as those who have urgent care obligations (see information sheet, opens an external URL in a new window) will continue to work from home.

In addition, consideration will also be given to employees who live in the same household as people who are in the ‘at risk group’ or who would prefer not to return to TU Wien because they are concerned about infection (e.g. through using public transport) and they will continue to be able to work from home. As the situation is unpredictable, a sensitive and understanding approach to employees is called for in the coming period!

Examination and teaching activities

All measures taken in the area of teaching remain unchanged. The Vice Rector for Academic Affairs will provide regular information about any future developments. In addition, our primary focus here is on creating the organisational and logistical conditions necessary to allow exams that cannot be held remotely to take place and enabling lab exercises to be held in order to resume experimental activities for theses in conjunction with the Deans and Deans of Studies. All of these steps will only be possible in compliance with the most stringent safety regulations, so they need careful preparation.

Central services

Central services employees will be able to return to TU Wien from 18 May. This process will also be staggered and will be based on the premises formulated for the faculties. Details will be announced at the beginning of May.

For more details, please visit the following websites:

• Teaching: https://colab.tuwien.ac.at/display/CORONA/CORONA+Information
• Research: https://colab.tuwien.ac.at/x/hoF8#CORONAInformation-Forschung
• Safety: https://colab.tuwien.ac.at/x/95Wx

The success and sustainability of the opening of the buildings depends on the discipline of all involved.

For about seven weeks you have been helping to maintain TU Wien’s operations under difficult conditions. Thanks to your ongoing work, we can now look at ‘opening buildings’ rather than having to start with a ‘ramp-up’ phase. I would like to thank you for that.

We wish you a relaxing May Day!

The Rectorate of TU Wien