New ownership structure strengthens Sigmund Freud Private University as an Austrian health university. SFU’s academic independence remains fully safeguarded.

Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna (SFU) is setting the course for its next phase of development: the British investment firm Oakley Capital will acquire SFU’s operating company through the Austrian OCG Skilled Education Holding GmbH (“Skilled Education”). The change of ownership is a planned step designed to ensure the university’s long-term stability and continued development.

For SFU students, academic staff, researchers, employees and partners, there will be no changes to day-to-day university life or study programmes. Teaching, research and clinical services will remain the university’s core pillars. SFU’s academic independence will remain fully preserved.

Continuity and Further Development

The new ownership structure provides SFU with additional opportunities to advance internationalisation, digital transformation, research, and innovative teaching formats. Planned initiatives include the further expansion of the academic portfolio at the Vienna campus, collaborations with other higher education institutions, and investments in digital teaching and research environments.

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Johannes Pollak, SFU Rector, sees this as an important step in the university’s long-term development: The new ownership structure creates additional opportunities, which should be utilised wherever they strengthen the quality of the university and support SFU’s mission as a health university.

SFU therefore remains an independent Austrian university with a clear academic and societal mission. Students, academic staff, researchers, employees, and partners will continue to be at the centre of its activities, alongside the university’s responsibility in teaching, research, and healthcare provision.

Recognising the Founders

Until now, SFU’s operating company has been owned by its founders, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Alfred Pritz, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Jutta Fiegl and Mag. Dr. Heinz Laubreuter. More than 20 years ago, they established the private university with the vision of firmly embedding psychotherapy as an academic and scientific discipline in Vienna, the city of Sigmund Freud.

That vision has evolved into a university which today plays a significant role in both the Austrian and international higher education landscape as Austria’s largest private university. In 2025, the founders and the University Council transferred academic leadership to a new Rectorate team led by Johannes Pollak. The new ownership structure represents the next step in ensuring SFU’s long-term sustainability beyond its founding generation.

For SFU, continuity, academic quality, and its societal mission remain central priorities. The university’s spirit, scientific identity, and responsibility towards students, employees, and partners continue to form the foundation for its future development.

International Expertise for the Next Phase

Oakley Capital is an international investment firm with experience in the education, higher education, and technology sectors. For the acquisition of SFU’s operating company, the Austrian holding company OCG Skilled Education Holding GmbH was established. Skilled Education is led by a group of international education and higher education experts under the leadership of Kevin Lynch.

The team brings expertise in higher education management, digital learning environments, internationalisation, and modern university structures. Its objective is to support SFU through its next phase of development in close collaboration with the Rectorate, faculties, employees, and existing partners.

SFU as a Health University

Founded in Vienna in 2005, Sigmund Freud Private University is today Austria’s largest private university. More than 6,000 students are enrolled in the Faculties of Medicine, Psychology, Psychotherapy Science, and Law. SFU also operates at several branches across Europe.

Guided by the motto “Education. Research. Care.”, SFU combines academic education, scientific research, and social responsibility. Through its own outpatient clinics and clinical facilities in the fields of mental health and dentistry, the university also makes an important contribution to healthcare provision.

The new ownership structure is intended to further strengthen this role: as an Austrian health university, a centre of academic excellence, and as an international university with responsibility for students, research, healthcare provision, and societal impact.

What Does the Change of Ownership Mean for SFU?

The change of ownership affects SFU’s operating company. Academic leadership, university governance bodies, and academic independence remain unchanged. For students, academic staff, researchers, employees, and partners, there will be no changes to study programmes, teaching activities, or day-to-day working life.

SFU remains SFU: with its history, scientific identity, societal mission, and a clear focus on its next phase of development.