Admission tests for human medicine and dentistry

Since the admission tests carried out for the academic year 2013/14, the Medical Universities of Graz, Innsbruck and Vienna have made use of the scientific services of a university professor of the University of Graz. In its report published today on the "Admission Procedure for Human Medicine and Dentistry", the Austrian Court of Audit (ACA) critically notes that the commissioning of the university professor was made without a call for tenders. The Medical Universities requested neither an estimate of the contract value nor comparative offers to assess the price adequacy. For the scientific services rendered until the academic year 2016/17, the Medical Universities paid some EUR 430,000 without a written contract. The ACA recommends to the Medical Universities of Graz, Innsbruck and Vienna to carry out an expert estimate of the contract value, to apply an authorized procedure and to document the reasons for the selection of the contractor in writing.

University professor had part of the invoices transferred to his private account

For his scientific services, the university professor of the University of Graz charged the Medical Universities of Graz, Innsbruck and Vienna fixed annual costs of EUR 3,000 per subtest per university as well as variable costs of six EUR per applicant. The auditors critically point to the fact that the fees paid for the university professor were not based on a calculation of costs. Hence, the costs could not be ascertained by the ACA. Of particular concern was the fact that the university professor placed invoices to the Medical University of Vienna in the amount of EUR 149,670 for the admission tests of the academic years 2014/15 to 2016/17 in his own name and on his own account, although the project in question was a third-party funded project. The Medical University of Vienna transferred this amount to the private account of the university professor – in violation of the provisions of the University Act 2002 (Universitätsgesetz 2002). As no contract had been concluded, the University of Graz failed to notice that amounts of EUR 149,670 were missing. The ACA therefore recommends to the University of Graz to have the improper transfers made by the Medical University of Vienna for the admission tests of the academic years 2014/15 to 2016/17 audited by the Financial Procurator's Office (Finanzprokuratur). If need be, the unjustified payments would have to be reclaimed from the university professor and disciplinary measures would have to be taken. The facts that gave the ACA reason to suspect criminal offences in the course of its audit have already been forwarded to the competent public prosecution office.