In 2026, the University of Graz awards grants for innovative digital teaching projects in which digital media, tools, and methods are thoughtfully designed from a pedagogical perspective and effectively integrated into university teaching. What sets this grant apart is that it focuses not merely on the use of digital tools, but on their innovative, effective, and reflective application.
This page answers all questions regarding the award.
If you have any further questions, please contact Dr. Lisa Scheer (DW 5724).
Please submit your application to: zlk(at)uni-graz.at.
FAQs on the Funding for Teaching Projects
The University of Graz awards a maximum of two grants to projects in which innovative digital teaching and learning formats are developed, tested, and evaluated. Project findings must be shared with the scientific community.
The award money per project is a maximum of €4,000 (individual application) and €10,000 (team application) to be used for material and personnel costs. Each project team is also provided with additional academic and media-related pedagogical consulting and support for project implementation.
Project proposals may be submitted by University of Graz individual faculty members or by teams of faculty members.
The award is given to teaching projects that aim to make innovative pedagogical use of digital media and technologies at the BA/B.Sc. or MA/M.Sc. level, or in teacher education programs—whether by revising existing teaching formats or by testing new digital approaches.
Funding is provided for self-contained projects with a project leader and defined start and end dates (within the academic year).
The award aims to promote the pedagogically informed and innovative use of digital media, tools, and methods in higher education. The focus is not on digitization as an end in itself, but on improving teaching and learning processes through well-thought-out media-based teaching design approaches.
Eligible teaching projects may have the following objectives:
- Developing and creating innovative digital teaching/learning materials that are shared with the entire teaching community in the form of OER,
- Establishing or further developing a pedagogically sound process for the use of digital media, which is subsequently shared/published (e.g., course design),
- Answering a research question regarding the use of digital technologies in teaching and publishing related findings,
- Reflection on and further development of one’s own digital teaching based on designing and testing,
- Promotion of digital competencies (e.g., AI literacy) as an explicit learning objective.
Submissions may address one or more of the following functions (non-exhaustive list):
- Interaction and engagement: synchronous and asynchronous collaboration, digital voting and feedback systems, peer feedback processes
- AI Literacy/Competence: AI as a learning tool for students (research, feedback, text processing); AI for teaching support (material creation, assignment creation, avatars); AI as a topic/subject (critical examination in a disciplinary context)
- Multimedia Knowledge Presentation: Instructional videos and screencasts, podcasts, interactive digital learning materials
- Simulation and experiential learning: Virtual labs, game-based learning scenarios, case-based digital exercise formats
- Reflection: Digital learning portfolios, structured learning journals
- Student-generated content: Creation of digital learning materials by students, publication as OER
- Research and data orientation: Integration of real-world datasets, citizen science elements
Award applications may be submitted by both individual instructors and teams of instructors at the University of Graz, regardless of their career stage.
Digital technologies are fundamentally transforming teaching and learning at universities—particularly through new opportunities for interaction, personalization, and collaboration. At the same time, it is becoming clear that the mere use of digital tools alone does not guarantee added value for learning. What is crucial is a pedagogically reflective, innovative, and effective use of these tools. The award specifically addresses this: It recognizes teaching projects in which digital tools are not used as an end in themselves, but are instead reflected upon, justified, and creatively utilized to sustainably improve teaching and learning processes. In this way, the University of Graz supports a future-oriented teaching culture that makes responsible use of technological opportunities.
The teaching projects are publicly presented on the university’s website. In addition, project results and findings must be made available to both the subject-specific and the broader teaching community. Options for doing so include:
- University of Graz OER Portal
- Presentations at events, e.g., High Noon – Didactics at Noon, Teaching Day
- Articles in subject-specific didactics publications
- Articles in higher education didactics publications (New Handbook of University Teaching, die hochschule, ZFHE, etc.)
- Conference contributions: papers, workshops, posters (e.g., at the Future Education Conference, the University Future Festival, or the TURN Conference)
- Workshops in continuing education programs (at universities, in university networks, within the academic community)
Project leaders receive internal support from the university.
- Background and Motivation: The submission should begin by explaining the observation, challenge, problem, and/or motivation that led to the submission.
- Project Goal: The goal of the project should be described and linked to the initial motivation.
- Innovative Aspects: The teaching concept employs a novel pedagogical approach that goes beyond the routine use of digital tools. The approach has the potential to be adapted to other subjects or contexts.
- Learning Effectiveness: The use of digital tools engages students and contributes to improving learning processes.
- Didactic Reflectiveness: The choice of digital tools is didactically justified. The instructor critically evaluates the use of technology. When using AI-supported tools, this includes, in particular: fostering critical thinking, transparency toward students, a reflective approach to risks (e.g., hallucinations), and addressing the issue of dependence on (commercial) systems.
- Openness and Reusability: The developed materials are documented and accessible to others, preferably as Open Educational Resources (OER) under an open license.
- Sustainability: The teaching concept can be permanently integrated into instruction and requires a reasonable investment of resources.
- Ethics and Inclusion: The concept takes into account accessibility as well as data protection requirements. When using AI-based systems, the requirements of the EU AI Act as well as issues of algorithmic fairness and data sovereignty are additionally considered.
- Visibility: Applicants and their roles in the project are introduced. The application explains how the visibility of the project results will be ensured.
- Project plan: The application includes a detailed, realistic project plan (timeline).
- Cost breakdown: A detailed outline is provided of how the project funds will be used.
- Overall coherence: The entire project presentation is coherent and consistent.
Describe your teaching project in the form and check whether you have met all the award criteria. Submit your application by Monday 7 September 2026 at zlk(at)uni-graz.at.
All applications for the award for innovative digital teaching projects are reviewed by a jury to determine whether they meet the award criteria. The jury is composed of members of the University of Graz and is chaired by the Vice Rector for Studies and Teaching. The decision will be made by September 18, 2026. All applicants will be informed of the decision following the jury meeting.
| Application deadline: | September 7, 2026 |
| Jury decision and announcement: | September 18, 2026 |
| Project start and realisation: | no later than October 1 |
| Project duration: | Maximum of 12 months |
| Project end date: | September 30 of the following year |
Prior to submission, the Center for Digital Teaching and Learning (Media Didactics & Multimedia Production) offers consultation on the project proposal.
Once the grant has been awarded, support may be requested from University of Graz service units to implement the project. In particular, the Competence Center for University Teaching (Teaching Design) and the Center for Digital Teaching and Learning (Media Design & Multimedia Production) are available for this purpose.
Questions regarding the application process can be directed at any time to Lisa Scheer at the Competence Center for University Teaching.
External experts may be consulted at the applicant’s own expense to provide support during both the application phase and the implementation phase.
You may apply for the grant multiple times, but you must clearly explain in your application how the new teaching project differs from the one that previously received the grant.