Presse Releases 2021

A recent IHS study on the costs of dementia provides a comprehensive picture of expenditures both in the health care system and for society as a whole. According to the study, dementia causes annual medical costs of around 1.39 billion euros. In addition, there are formal care costs of around EUR 1.26 billion.

Education empowers girls for their lives and the world of work. The focus on "The Digital Generation. Our Generation." by UNICEF this year on the occasion of World Girls' Day, the UNICEF Gender Report 2020 and a study by IHS on STEM interest among children make it clear: Skills in STEM subjects are not innate; rather, gender-specific socialization plays a role.

The risk of developing dementia increases with age. Parallel to this, life expectancy in our society is increasing. This combination is leading to a worrying increase in dementia: It is estimated that at least 147,000 people in Austria are currently affected by dementia, although a certain number of unreported cases can be assumed. The quality of life of those affected as well as that of their relatives is impaired. In addition, the high numbers mean challenges for the health and care sector as well as for society as a whole. This is shown in a study by the IHS with financial support from Biogen Austria, which estimates the costs of the disease and also highlights the problem of the inadequate data situation in Austria.

Climate protection and sustainability are the most pressing challenges of our time - and hardly anyone openly doubts that there is an enormous need for action. In a recent study, researchers from the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) and Karmasin Research&Identity looked at why so few concrete measures are being taken: They mapped all relevant stakeholders and institutions in Austria on a "climate change map" and identified driving and restraining forces as well as their power potential from an objective perspective.

How can Europe overcome the COVID 19 pandemic and what strategies and risks should be considered? These questions were addressed by 24 experts from all over Europe in a detailed situation analysis for the coming months and years.

More than 30 scientists have taken a look at the future of the COVID-19 pandemic in the renowned journal The Lancet. The Conclusion: The virus and its effects will be with us for a long time.

In a study conducted in cooperation between researchers from the University of Oxford, Queen Mary University London, the Medical University of Graz and the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS), the diagnostic accuracy of antigen tests (lateral flow tests, LFT) in general medical practice was investigated in comparison to the PCR test in the same group of patients in Austria. The results show that the LF test rapidly indicates viral infestation: both in the early stages of infection, at the onset of symptoms and also at low CT levels. A 95 % match with PCR is achieved for positive results and 89 % for negative results.

Based on the proposals of the selection committee, the IHS board of trustees of has decided to start negotiations with the renowned economist Lars Feld about the scientific directorship of the Institute for Advanced Studies. "The aim is to finalise the negotiations quickly in order to be able to welcome Lars Feld to the Institute in autumn," explains IHS President Franz Fischler.

The hearings for the replacement of the director took place today at IHS with the five candidates remaining on the shortlist. The Appointment Commission will now submit a three-person proposal to the IHS Board of Trustees of, outlining the assessment of the candidates' suitability. The new scientific director of the Institute will be appointed at the next meeting of the Board of Trustees on 30 June 2021.

What sould be done with Austria's medical data in order to guarantee up-to-date health care, to be able to use it to plan the health system, the labour market and the common good at the highest standards of cyber security and to achieve minimally invasive control in the event of an epidemic? National health data are of central and overriding relevance.

The IHS Board of Trustees decides, at the suggestion of its president Franz Fischler, to call for applications for the position of scientific director.