On January 1st, 2016 Stefan Zotti takes over the management of the Austrian Agency for International Cooperation in Education and Research (OeAD-GmbH). From 2007 to 2009 Zotti, who holds a doctorate in theology, was a member of the Cabinet of the former minister of science and research, Johannes Hahn. In 2010 he followed the EU commissioner Hahn to Brussels, where he was mainly in charge of research and innovation support issues in regional politics in Hahn’s Cabinet. Zotti held and still holds teaching positions at different Austrian universities of applied sciences and has published articles on questions related to applied ethics and EU policy.

The OeAD sees Zotti as a strong partner of the federal government when it comes to internationalisation of education, science and research, which is a decisive factor in the global competition for the brightest minds. “The promotion of the internationalisation of Austria as a location for education and research requires a clear strategy with which all stakeholders can identify and to which they will contribute”, says Zotti, adding: “And a strong OeAD.” Zotti wants to further strengthen the central role of the OeAD as an internationalisation agency and incorporate the knowledge of international developments in education and research into the educational policy discourse.

Zotti succeeds Hubert Dürrstein, who assumes new tasks in science, as director general.

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