What are your plans for the 2013/2014 academic year? What's the news this year? 
Dr. László Láng: We have lots of news this academic year. Some of my colleagues would tell you that we have too many. Most important, it was last week that we've started with our new BSc programmes (8 to be precise) that lead to degrees awarded by the University of Buckingham. It was yesterday that we opened our Vienna campus for the first cohort of MSc students there. They are 11 students, from 9 countries, from Canada to Australia. May they have the learning experience they've been longing for. Our full-time faculty has been expanded significantly: five professors, all with a Ph.D. and impressive records in teaching and research, joined our teaching staff this September. We look much forward to working with them. Should I go on?

Are you planning to introduce any new programs or have you streamlined existing modules? 
L.L.: We are continuously streamlining modules, that's nothing new. But yes, we are working on new programmes both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Nevertheless, more emphasis is put on expanding the range of our MSc offerings; I can I hope be more specific sometime next semester when the respective accreditation processes will be under way. 

Why have you decided to open IBS Vienna? 
L.L.: One answer could be that it is because nothing like this (i.e. that a Hungarian higher education institution enters Austria with its education services) has happened in the last 150 years when in 1872 the agricultural "university" in Mosonmagyaróvár founded an agricultural higher education institution in Vienna (today: Universität für Bodenkultur, Vienna). More seriously though, we've been attracted by the promising market: there is seemingly a large, partly unsatisfied demand there for postgraduate offerings not only among foreigners resident in Austria but also among locals. We felt that we should try to leverage our extensive experience in English-language business education in this new marketplace. And since our partner in the United Kingdom, the University of Buckingham was also excited about this opportunity, we ventured into it after 2 years of thorough preparation. 

Does that mean that IBS is looking for opportunities to expand geographically? 
L.L.: Yes, one could say so. I have to admit though that in this first case geographic proximity has played a role. 

What programs do you offer at the Austrian franchise? 
L.L.: It is not a franchise; it was IBS that was duly registered for operating in Vienna by the respective Austrian ministry. In Vienna, we offer two MSc programmes (all leading to University of Buckingham degree) with work-friendly schedule. 

To whom do you recommend IBS Vienna's programs? 
L.L.: To everybody but a little bit more specifically to young professionals who are working in Vienna and its neighborhood and wish to deepen, enrich, structure and develop their knowledge and skills for reasons of career advancement or career change. 

What are your impressions on the cooperation between IBS and the Univeristy of Buckingham? 
L.L.: Most promising. It is good to work together with like-minded academics and academic managers.