In a volatile new era of geopolitical, ecological and AI transformation and disruption, higher education will have to rethink its approaches to research, education, governance and knowledge exchange. The Austrian Council for Science and Innovation (FORWIT) mandated Reichert to submit an expert position paper on Higher Education Strategy 2024 for Austria (https://forwit.at/veroeffentlichungen/), as part of its wider analysis of higher education development for the Austrian Government. The Council’s contribution is part of a wider multi-stakeholder strategy process which is orchestrated by the Austrian Ministry of Science and Higher Education (https://www.bmfwf.gv.at/wissenschaft/hochschulstrategie-2040.html) to which Reichert was invited as an international expert.

At the THE Eurasia Universities Summit on “Transnational Research: From global knowledge to global impact” (24-25 September 2025, Baku, Azerbaijan), hosted by THE in partnership with the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the State Agency for Science and Higher Education, Reichert discusses new formats of cooperation and the institutional services needed to engage in high-impact partnerships (Plenary on Reimagining university-community partnerships).

https://www.timeshighered-events.com/eurasia-universities-summit-2025/home

Commissioned by the City of Nürnberg (Referat für Wirtschaftsförderung und Wissenschaft), Reichert Consulting developed a strategy proposal on the basis of qualitative analysis and stakeholder interviews, which she presented at the City Council of Nürnberg on 28 June 2023. The strategy, which was published in July 2023,  takes an analysis of strengths and potential in the triple helix cooperation between universities, businesses and the public sector organisations located in the city as a foundation for its focus on new multi-stakeholder cooperation formats in four priority fields of action that are at the core of today’s key transformation processes (energy and digital transition). The priority areas build on Nürnberg’s dense research and innovation portfolio in new energy systems, digital services and data sciences, as well as health care and social innovation.

A central recommendation concerns joint strategic initiatives and services in recruiting high potentials and highly qualified researchers and innovators to Nuremberg, enhancing and marketing its quality as an open densely networked creative environment.

At the conference on Handlungskoordination an deutschen Hochschulen on 4-5 May 2023, which Reichert helped prepare as part of the project Lernwelt Hochschule  (Learning Environments in Higher Education), Reichert discussed the cultural, institutional and system conditions for innovative learning environments in her Plenary Talk (Wie orchestrieren wir den Kulturwandel? Internationale Wegweiser für eine “Währungsreform” in der Hochschulentwicklung) and Plenary Panel, taking good practices from other European higher education systems as a stimulus for discussing cultural change at German higher education institutions.

The key findings and recommendations of Reichert Consulting’s Evaluation Study of Tenure Track Professorships and New Hiring Procedures in Austria (Neue Wege zur Professur in Österreich. Chancen der institutionellen Steuerung und individuellen Laufbahnentwicklung mit den neuen Berufungs- und Auswahlverfahren nach §99 Abs.4 und Abs.5 Universitätsgesetz.) were presented and discussed on 7 March 2023 at a Conference with University Leadership of Austria’s 22 universities.

Commissioned by the Austrian Ministry of Education, Science and Research, Reichert evaluated the new professorial hiring procedures and career tracks that have been introduced in Austria in 2016 with the aim of improving access to and international competitiveness of professorial positions. The legislative innovation proved to be an asset for strategic steering by the universities, improving access to international talent at an earlier career stage and the proportion of female professors. While the portfolio of professorial positions is now widely seen to offer a flexible set of different professorships, some further attention to staff development and onboarding are among the recommendations for improvements.