On July 24, 1970, with the entry of the “Bundesministeriengesetz” the SPÖ government under Bruno Kreisky founded the new Ministry of Science, separated from the teaching department. As Austria‘s first female socialdemocratic minister, Hertha Firnberg, took over its development as Federal Minister of Science and Research. Her university policy was shaped by reforms that aimed to open up access to study for everyone and to establish the right to have a say in all affected groups (“Universitäts-Organisationsgesetz” (UOG) 1975). One consequence of this opening was the rapid expansion of the University of Vienna on several levels.
