Austrian Arbitration Academy - Summer Program 2025

ACADEMIC PROGRAM

The Austrian Arbitration Academy is an intensive two-week program on international commercial arbitration for both regular students of the univie: summer school and participants who take part only in this special arbitration program.

It addresses the following groups of participants: 

• Students and law school graduates interested in the world of international dispute resolution.
• Young practitioners looking for a comprehensive course giving them first-hand insights into international arbitration. 

The Austrian Arbitration Academy program takes place from July 12 to July 26, 2025 and consists of 64 contact hours. (Each contact hour consists of 45 minutes classroom teaching.)

After an introductory session on the first Sunday, classes will be held Monday to Friday mornings. In additional afternoon workshops the participants will discuss salient issues of international arbitration with special guests from the international arbitration community.

On July 30 a written exam will take place. On the evening before the exam, a special Q&A session will help the participants to prepare for the exam.

Successful participants will receive the University of Vienna – Austrian Arbitration Academy diploma.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Austrian Arbitration Academy is an intensive, two-week program on international commercial arbitration. Developed for law students with an interest in dispute resolution and young practitioners, the course’s intent is to offer a first insight into arbitration. 

The course covers all aspects of arbitral proceedings, starting with an introduction on the prerequisites of arbitration. Further modules will focus on the constitution of the arbitral tribunal, the conduct of the proceedings, the arbitral award as well as the challenge and enforcement of said award. Students will be introduced to the legal framework of international arbitration, arbitral rules and relevant case law. The last module is entirely dedicated to investment arbitration. 

The classes will cover the following issues:

• Introduction to International Arbitration
• The Arbitration Clause
• The Arbitral Tribunal
• The Arbitral Proceedings
• The Arbitral Award
• The Challenge of the Award
• The Enforcement of the Award
• Introduction to Investment Arbitration 

In addition to these morning classes, specific issues will be discussed in interactive afternoon sessions. Topics in these afternoon modules have included sports arbitration, construction disputes and the issue of calculating damages. Furthermore, participants will have the possibility to train their advocacy skills in a mock hearing (Mini Moot Court) by arguing a fictitious case. 

The course modules will be taught by a variety of first class international arbitration practitioners from both the bar and academia. 

Requirements: Attendance is mandatory. Performance will be assessed on the basis of active participation in class (40% of the grade) and a written final exam (60%). 

The Austrian Arbitration Academy is recommended for advanced law students (pursuing their Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree) and young practitioners working in the legal field. Prior experience in arbitration is not required.