OPEC Vienna Energy Scholar Programme

The participants of the Vienna Energy Scholar Programme with OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al-Ghais.

In September 2024, the Vienna Energy Scholar Programme took place for the fourth time. The programme was organized by the OPEC in collaboration with the City of Vienna. This year's participants were 14 students from different fields of study at the University of Vienna and the University of Leoben.

Diverse programme

During their one-week programme, the participants were offered insights into the international oil market and current research on sustainability and new energy technologies. The statistics on the international economy, created by the OPEC, are also used by the UN for reports and outlooks on the global economy. The participants also attended presentations and engaged in discussions with the City of Vienna and Wien Energie (energy provider), who introduced their Smart City concepts and projects for the transition from natural gas to renewable energy production. The Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA) reported on the international energy policy and Austria’s role therein, as well as the settlement policy for international organizations.

The participants' week was rounded off by a visit to the OPEC Fund for International Development and the OMV branch in Gänserndorf, where the company conducts one of the world's leading research stations for geological research. To conclude their programme, OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al-Ghais invited the young scholars to a discussion round in the grand conference room. Since 2021, a total of 50 students have participated in the programmes.

About OPEC

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries was founded in 1960 and moved its headquarters to Vienna in 1965. Like many other international organizations, it is of great importance to both the Federal Republic of Austria and the City of Vienna, which hosted the 1815 Congress of Vienna and has since gained a reputation as the city of international diplomacy.