Attention was paid to the previously agreed key evaluation topics:

• The research centre "Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society" (RaT)
• The Vienna Doctoral School of Theology and Research on Religion (VDTR)

Evaluation

The Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Vienna was comprehensively evaluated from 2 to 4 June 2025. The international group of evaluators, chaired by Rector Prof. Dr. Joke van Saane (University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht) included other renowned experts selected according to the focus topics: Prof. Dr. Michael Seewald (University of Münster), Prof. Dr. Anders Runesson (University of Oslo) and Prof. Dr. Emmanuel Agius (University of Malta | AVEPRO).

The evaluation was coordinated by the University of Vienna's Special Unit for Quality Assurance and was based on a comprehensive self-evaluation report by the faculty as well as intensive discussions with faculty management, students, doctoral students and professors during a three-day on-site visit by the experts.

Results and recommendations

The experts praised the faculty for its internationally recognised research achievements and the strong interdisciplinary orientation of the department.

The work of the Research Centre Religion and Transformation (RaT), which plays a central integrative role in research on religion at the University of Vienna and contributes extensively to the international visibility of the faculty, was positively highlighted. The reviewers recommended that RaT be permanently established.

The Vienna Doctoral School of Theology and Research on Religion (VDTR) was also recognised as an innovative and forward-looking model for interdisciplinary doctoral training. The experts saw potential for further development, for example in the area of governance structures and the flow of information within the VDTR, as well as in the establishment of networks with other doctoral schools and external stakeholders. In addition, doctoral supervision should be further professionalised through supervisor training and co-supervision should be formalised

Further recommendations from the reviewers included

• a stronger link between the "Religion in Europe" Master's programme and the research activities of RaT and VDTR,
• the expansion of international networks and cooperation, in particular through joint summer programmes and conferences, and
• the development of a faculty-wide inclusion strategy

Next steps and monitoring

The evaluation results were discussed in detail by the Rectorate and the faculty management. Many expert recommendations were included in the implementation agreement. The agreed measures will be monitored as part of the target agreement process. The evaluation report and faculty statement are available to university members at https://qs.univie.ac.at/en/evaluation/faculties-centres/evaluation-reports/.