University of Vienna @Expo2025 in Osaka

"The comprehensiveness of the University of Vienna is key to addressing the global challenges that are the main topic of the expo, to look at them from a variety of perspectives. And global challenges require more international collaboration, especially in times of increased geopolitical divide," remarked Rector Sebastian Schütze in his opening speech. At "Building Futures," leading researchers from a large variety of fields of the university presented their work in front of an audience just as diverse --coming from diverse sectors ranging from industry to politics and academia.

Vice-Rector Manuela Baccarini said: "From this visit, I'm expecting more breadth and more depth in our collaborations. Japan is really important in the current geopolitical climate, and we hope the country will join the European Commission's Horizon programme in the future so we can deepen our collaborations further." With Kyoto University as a strategic partner university and an ERC Synergy grant with the University of Osaka , the University of Vienna already cultivates close ties with the country. However, historian Philipp Ther added another aspect why the country is so interesting, saying, "I always have great conversations in Japan, and I hope to get these again this time." As many of the group emphasised, the different cultural perspectives one is exposed to here are of great value. And indeed, all the talks sparked inspired questions across fields, sectors and countries.

Eva Horn presented how the cultural perception of climate changed over the millennia; and the importance of the microbial environment in and around us, the microbiome, was the topic for Michael Wagner. Thomas Pichler stressed the need for collaborations for the development of cutting-edge instruments for materials science; Christa Schleper talked on how our complex cells evolved through collaboration; and Wolfgang Mazal presented on what the Austrian and Japanese societies can learn from each other in our challenges with super-aging and immigration. Barbara Prainsack emphasised that solidarity is the foundation for a democratic society; Nuno Maulide shared his vision for chemical synthesis of the future; and Philipp Ther closed with a brief tour through Austria's development as an empire of music.

But the University of Vienna researchers didn't come so much to teach as to learn. Political scientist Barbara Prainsack said: "For example listening as a political activity seems to be more acknowledged here, and I'd like to learn more about that," and law researcher Wolfgang Mazal added, "Another lesson we can learn from Japan is the society's openness to new technologies." For German literature researcher Eva Horn, the Japanese attunement to the seasons was something she would like to bring back to Europe, saying, "In Japan, the aesthetics of the seasons are prominent in holidays and in visual art, and we can learn a lot from their way of connecting to the atmosphere."

All agreed, though, that the greatest benefit was the connections they made. "It was most interesting to meet a Japanese colleague who has been working on the same topic in parallel as I have, and now we can finally work together and merge our expertise," said microbiologist Christa Schleper. And materials scientist Thomas Pichler added: "My hope is that our ongoing collaborations will act as a role model for others to come. In Japan, one needs to build up trust over a long time, but then collaborations can be very fruitful."

"It is super enjoyable to be with all of these great people in a different setting and have time to raise new ideas, new collaborations, new friendships," is how microbiologist Michael Wagner summed it up. And he doesn't only mean the people he met in Japan, but also those who travelled with him, as chemist Nuno Maulide agreed. He said, "This event brought me closer to my colleagues at the University of Vienna, because there usually is little opportunity to be exposed to their wonderful research."

The "Building Futures" event thus not only brought together a group of people. It was a case study in letting diverse voices find harmony and together set out on new world-class research — to compose the future.