What a great edition of ACO-TEC 2026! On September 23 and 24, ACO-market hosted Austria’s IT conference for education, research, and science for the fifth time. And this year brought a first: ACO-TEC headed beyond Vienna to Graz University of Technology! More than 200 people joined us each day.
The spotlight was on real university IT use cases and practical ideas worth sharing. Universities and technology providers took the stage together to show what they’ve built and how it helps in everyday university life. Just as valuable were all the conversations at Campus Alte Technik: a chance to ask questions, swap experiences and meet people tackling similar challenges.
Rik Bleeker, Oracle Academy PM for the Benelux & DACH, was delighted to share the free technology education resources Oracle Academy offers educational institutions across the region. The enthusiasm carried over to the Oracle booth, where attendees stopped by to learn more.
The keynote was part of a three-part Oracle and TU Graz story. Johannes Ferner, Account Cloud Engineering Leader at Oracle Austria, and Andreas Kainer from TU Graz shared how Oracle technology is making an impact at the Technische Universität Graz.
As the speakers noted: “The ACO-TEC conference was very well attended, with AI clearly dominating the discussion and reinforcing the need for universities to collaborate more closely under growing cost pressure — an area where Oracle Cloud and Oracle Academy’s offerings were very well received. Our joint keynote with Oracle Academy, the Oracle field team, and TU Graz on CampusOnline gained strong feedback from the participants, and I look forward to building on this excellent and highly professional collaboration next year,” said Johannes.
“At the conference, we experienced the variety of options Oracle is offering when it comes to services. Over more than 25 years, we at CAMPUSonline forged a deep cooperation with Oracle in which we benefited of its services, including trainings and certificates. Oracle Academy is a great way to give TU Graz students the opportunity to get in touch with Oracle technology,” said Andreas.
Hannes Ẅ̈ölfler, Senior SOC Consultant ACP IT Solutions GmbH, said, “What impressed me most at ACO-TEC 2026 was not only Oracle’s technological innovation but also the strong commitment to education through Oracle Academy. Programs like Oracle Academy help bridge the gap between academic learning and industry needs, empowering students with practical skills that are highly relevant in today’s digital world.”
Oracle OCI Account Executive Christian Hauser stated, “ACO-TEC 2026 in Graz was an excellent academic conference, bringing universities, customers, and technology partners together for valuable discussions at the Oracle booth and throughout the event. Together with the Campus Online team, we showcased how universities can securely run Campus Online in the Oracle EU Sovereign Cloud, while also highlighting the free Oracle Academy content and technology available to support lecturers in their teaching.”
A huge thank you goes to Johannes Ferner and Christian Hauser for contributing hugely to the event, and of course to the fantastic ACO-TEC organization.
Oracle Academy is proud to support the next generation of technology leaders by helping students build practical technology skills and connect academic learning with real-world opportunities. We look forward to keeping the conversation going.
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