A double win for sports: University Sports Institute partners with FH Sports

The University Sports Institute (USI), managed by Johannes Kepler University Linz, is expanding: Through a new cooperation with FH Upper Austria, additional sports courses will now be offered at the Linz and Wels locations. Students and staff benefit from a wider selection, greater regional reach, and a simplified registration process.

The University Sports Institute—USI for short—currently offers more than 200 courses, and students from all Austrian universities and universities of applied sciences are already welcome to participate. Remaining spots can also be booked by external guests. Until now, however, the sports program has been primarily centered around JKU. With this cooperation, USI is now bringing its offerings directly to the FH campuses. In the first phase, a total of 12 new courses will be introduced at the Linz and Wels FH locations, with capacity for nearly 200 participants. In the future, the Hagenberg and Steyr campuses will also be integrated into the program. This expansion aligns seamlessly with USI’s strategy to strengthen collaborations with universities in and around Linz and to bring sports opportunities even closer to students and staff.

“With this cooperation, we are creating significant added value for students and employees by combining the offerings of USI and FH Sports and reducing barriers, such as during registration. This strengthens our collaboration with FH Upper Austria and further promotes health and a sense of community through sports activities,” says Univ.-Prof. Dr. Stefan Koch, Rector of Johannes Kepler University Linz.

Stronger Together

FH Upper Austria contributes its existing sports offering of around 20 to 30 courses to the cooperation, including yoga, paddling, tennis, kickboxing, swimming, and volleyball. The partnership expands the range of options for both institutions, creating a win-win situation. In addition, FH members will gain full access to the USI online system. This simplifies registration and communication with trainers and improves planning, for example in the event of short-notice changes. Currently, the FH sports program is mainly concentrated in Wels, while Steyr and Hagenberg rely largely on collaborations with local sports clubs.

“Through the cooperation with USI, we have been able to significantly expand the sports offerings for students and staff. This benefits not only members of FH Upper Austria but also students from other universities in Upper Austria. Cross-university exchange is now happening in sports as well, strengthening Upper Austria as a higher education region,” says FH-Prof. Dr. Michael Rabl, President of FH Upper Austria.