University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences

What University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences does

The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) is a public Austrian university founded in 1872 and headquartered at Gregor-Mendel-Straße 33, 1180 Vienna, with additional campuses at Muthgasse, Tulln an der Donau (UFT), and Forchtenstein (Forest Demonstration Centre). The institution focuses on the sustainable management of natural resources and life sciences, organized across six departments: Agricultural Sciences; Biotechnology and Food Sciences; Landscape, Water and Infrastructure; Natural Sciences and Sustainable Resources; Ecosystem Management, Climate and Biodiversity; and Economics and Social Sciences. It serves approximately 10,478 students and roughly 3,000 employees, drawing its community from DACH, Central Europe, the Danube River Basin, and Southeastern Europe through 360 international partner universities. BOKU's academic and research activities are supported by an IT and administrative platform stack that includes BOKUonline (student information system), BOKUlearn/Moodle (learning management system), BOKUportal, BOKU:LITsearch, the FIS research information system, the Abstracts thesis repository, and BOKU Core Facilities for shared research infrastructure.

BOKU's revenue model rests on three streams: federal and state public funding through the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (the largest share); third-party research funding from the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), EU research programs such as the DANUBElifelines initiative, and strategic research partnerships with industry; and tuition fees from non-EU international students and continuing education programs delivered through the Akademie für Weiterbildung. Strategic research alliances — including ACIB (industrial biotechnology), FFoQSI (feed and food quality), Wood Kplus (wood and biobased materials), BEST (applied ecology), Wassercluster Lunz (aquatic ecosystems), and a 20-year cooperation with the Umweltbundesamt (Austrian Environment Agency) — anchor commercial and applied-research revenue. Distribution is executed through degree programs, research collaboration agreements, continuing education, technology transfer, and spin-off support. In 2025, BOKU underwent a significant organizational restructuring with the establishment of the new Department of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, following a March 2024 brand relaunch that repositioned the institution around values of innovation, internationalization, and sustainability.

Name

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences

Legal name

University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna

Website

https://boku.ac.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

BOKU is a public Austrian university (founded 1872) specializing in sustainable management of natural resources and life sciences, serving approximately 10,478 students and 3,000 employees across six departments, with operations in Vienna, Tulln, and Forchtenstein.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Research

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Technical Universities with Architecture, Built Environment & Design Engineering (EDAHAEAJ)

Keywords

• Life sciences education
• Natural resource management
• Sustainability research
• Agricultural sciences
• Biotechnology research

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: As a public Austrian university, BOKU receives government funding from federal and state sources for education and research activities.
2. Research Grants and Drittmittel: External research funding from Austrian Science Fund (FWF), EU research programs, and other grant sources. Strategic research partnerships with industry and public institutions generate additional research income.
3. Tuition Fees: Tuition fees from international students (non-EU) and continuing education programs including the Academy for Further Education (Akademie für Weiterbildung).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BOKU is a public university that delivers higher education programs (bachelor, master, doctoral degrees) and conducts academic research in life sciences, natural resource management, sustainability sciences, biotechnology, and agricultural sciences. The institution operates six specialized departments across its Vienna, Tulln, and Forchtenstein campuses, providing degree programs to approximately 10,478 students and producing research through strategic partnerships with industry and government bodies including ACIB, FFoQSI, Wood Kplus, and the Austrian Environment Agency.

Product overview

The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU) is a higher education institution offering degree programs and conducting research. Its product portfolio consists of educational and administrative platforms including BOKUonline for student enrollment and course registration, BOKUlearn (Moodle-based LMS) for course delivery, BOKUportal for general access, and FIS for research information management. Supporting infrastructure includes the Abstracts repository system for thesis publications, BOKU Core Facilities for shared research equipment, and various student services. BOKU provides IT services through BOKU-IT Hotline and cloud storage via BOKUbox. Additional programs include BOKU Mobility4Health for campus mobility and the MINT-Mentoring program for postdoc development. The university publishes BOKU Magazin for institutional communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor Degree Programs Undergraduate degree programs offered across BOKU's six academic departments, covering agricultural sciences, biotechnology, food sciences, landscape architecture, water management, infrastructure, natural sciences, sustainable resources, ecosystem management, and economics, aimed at prospective domestic and international students.
• Master Degree Programs Graduate degree programs aligned with BOKU's six academic departments in life sciences, sustainability, biotechnology, natural resource management, and related fields, offered to students holding a first degree and seeking advanced specialization.
• Doctoral Programs Research-focused doctoral degree programs in life sciences, sustainability, and natural resource management, producing the next generation of academic researchers, with research training embedded in BOKU's departments and core facilities.
• Akademie für Weiterbildung (Continuing Education) Continuing education and professional development programs delivered through BOKU's Academy for Continuing Education, offering paid courses and certifications in life sciences, natural resources, and sustainability for working professionals and academics seeking additional qualifications.
• BOKU Core Facilities Centralized shared research infrastructure providing external and internal researchers access to specialized scientific equipment and technical services across multiple domains (e.g., mass spectrometry, genomics, imaging, field stations), operated by BOKU for use by academic and industry collaborators.
• Research Collaboration Services Contracted research, technology transfer, and consulting services delivered through strategic partnerships with industry, government agencies, and international research networks (including ACIB, FFoQSI, Wood Kplus, and CD-Laboratories) in life sciences, biotechnology, and environmental research.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked best Austrian university in THE SDG-Impact Rating 2026 for sustainability impact
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• DANUBElifelines InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025EU-funded initiative launched May 2025 bringing together scientists, conservationists, and local communities across the Danube River Basin to restore river ecosystems and biodiversity over a four-year period. Working in 8 demonstration areas spanning Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria.
• ACIB (Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic research partnership for industrial biotechnology research and development collaboration.
• FFoQSI (Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership in feed and food quality research and innovation.
• Wood KpluscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic research cooperation in wood and biobased materials research.
• BEST (Austrian Institute for Applied Ecology)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership in applied ecology and environmental sciences.
• Wassercluster LunzmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership in water sciences and aquatic ecosystem research.
• BOKU-Umweltbundesamt Strategic CooperationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner20-year strategic cooperation between BOKU and the Austrian Environment Agency for joint research, knowledge transfer, and environmental monitoring. Includes dedicated cooperation center and regular joint activities.
• Fonds Gesundes Österreich (FGÖ)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerFunding partnership for BOKU Mobility4Health project combining workplace mobility management and health promotion. Funded under the priority 'Workplace Health Promotion and Active Mobility' from March 2025 to October 2026.
• EPICUR Centre for International Teaching and LearningmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean university alliance for international teaching and learning collaboration across borders.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/profile/bokuvienna.bsky.social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/bokuwien
• Facebookfacebook.com/boku.wien
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-natural-resources-and-applied-life-sciences-vienna
• Instagraminstagram.com/boku.vienna
• TikToktiktok.com/@bokuvienna

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences