I publicly support Dr. Eltschinger's request to support this petition.  I have signed it myself, and I urge you to do so too if you wish to help indology in Austria.

For those not au courant with Austrian matters, in January this year, just three months ago, the Austrian government decided without warning to discontinue the existence of the Ministry of Science and Research (=higher education).  They moved some of its functions into the Ministry of Economic Affairs, renamed Ministry of Science, Research and Economics (Bundesministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Wirtschaft).  They split off those parts of the old Ministry concerned specifically with applied and business-related research and development and gave them to the Ministry of Transport, Technology and Innovation.

These moves became law on 1st March, just weeks ago.  These changes have crystallized major uncertainties about the future of funding for academic research in Austria, uncertainties that were already creating serious anxieties in the main research councils last year.  In general, the academy in Austria feels itself to be under serious economic threat at this time.

Best,
--
Dr Dominik Wujastyk
Department of South Asia, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies,
University of Vienna,
Spitalgasse 2-4, Courtyard 2, Entrance 2.1
1090 Vienna, Austria





On 28 March 2014 21:55, Audrey Truschke <audrey.truschke@gmail.com> wrote:
I am forwarding the following message from Vincent Eltschinger.

Dear Madam, Dear Sir,
A few days ago, I have been asking Dominik whether the Indology list would agree that I post a petition launched by the president of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Prof. Anton Zeilinger. The petition concerns all researchers based in Austria, which, as you may know, represents one of the biggest concentration of Indologists throughout the world. Dominik has asked me to ask you, and so I do!
Here is the link:
Thank you for having a look and letting me know!
With best regards and many thanks in advance,

Vincent Eltschinger

Dr. Vincent Eltschinger 
Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia
Deputy Director
Austrian Academy of Sciences
Apostelgasse 23
A-1030 Vienna


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