Vienna School Initiatives
Our mission
From the very beginning, renowned individuals and organizations have supported our non-profit projects, including:
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Austrian Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer
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Former Ambassador Dr. Ernst Sucharipa
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Prof. Roger Fisher (Harvard University)
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Austrian Foreign Ministry
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Austrian Development Agency
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German Foreign Office
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Berghof Foundation for Conflict Transformation
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City of Vienna
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Diplomatic Academy of Vienna
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USAID
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....
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Various corporate partners
It's the process - professional facilitation support in negotiations, emotional conflict and complex cooperation
The Vienna Congress, Viennese Modernism, Viennese Actionism — the Vienna School of Negotiation sees itself rooted in these traditions with the integration of various academic disciplines, and the exploration of new paths.
The purpose of the Vienna School Initiatives e.V. is to offer facilitation support and bring expert advise to specific challenges, and to promote academic dialogue on negotiation, cooperation, and conflict in Europe.
This is particularly important when dealing with "wicked problems", where the aim is to co-create a way forward, like an expedition; we are dedicated to strengthening various forms of peace-full cooperation.
​Our work typically requires a long-term commitment that is not deterred by a standstill in official peace processes.
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Our activities are carried out in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders, including representatives from academia, political decision-makers, business leaders, and the media. The inclusion of diverse political perspectives and the equal participation of women* and men* are among our core guiding principles.
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As we develop and conduct "train-the-trainer" programs together with our local partners. This enables highly qualified local trainers to lead professional training sessions, thereby sustainably promoting culturally sensitive methods.
Young Negotiator Initiative
The Young Negotiator Initiative (YNI) was started by Sonja Rauschütz and invites interested young professionals to take their place at the negotiating table. Our explicit goals include expanding professional and personal skills in the areas of negotiation, communication, cooperation, conflict management, and leadership.
YNI combines Western and US-American traditions with the practices of professional Central European practice. It equips young people with the necessary methods, tools, and skills, such as the Harvard Concept , the Process Communication Model® , Leading out of Drama (LOD) and much more, to actively shape our present and future.
If you are under 30 years, interested in collaborative learning and professional insights into the world of negotiations, that usually take place behind closed doors, become a YNI member at youngnegotiators@viennaschool.at.
Our flagship program is the annual 5-day intensive Young Negotiator Academy (YNA) in cooperation with the Vienna University of Economics and Business.
Our strategic alliance partners include members of the Vienna School faculty, academic institutions, and innovative international business organizations. The next, and 12th, YNA will take place in Vienna from February 15 to 19, 2027.
Israeli Palestinian Negotiating Partners
The Israeli Palestinian Negotiators Program (IPNP) was initiated by Moty Cristal and Sonja Rauschütz in close collaboration with Harvard Professor Roger Fisher, author of "Getting to Yes" and "Beyond Reason", and Dr. Landrum Bolling, a dedicated, high-ranking diplomat in the Middle East conflict.
IPNP is a network of Israeli and Palestinian people that promotes professional exchange in conflict management among those who directly and indirectly influence the formal peace negotiation process. IPNP is an academic forum and not a forum for actual negotiations.
Netzwerk Chance Demokratie
"Chance Democracy" is a network to actively strengthen our political culture and the resilience of democracy. As an alliance of politics, academia, and civil society, we create spaces for constructive dialogue and modern civic participation.
Our goal is to collectively address societal challenges and counteract authoritarian tendencies by promoting collective capabilities. We are firmly committed to democratic values and shaping a sustainable future for our society. Become part of an initiative that keeps democracy vibrant and actively shapes its future.
Women Waging Peace
The Vienna School of Negotiation supports the Women Waging Peace initiative of Ambassador Swanee Hunt that promotes the active role of women at negotiating tables and the amplification of the diverse voices of all partners involved in peace processes and conflict management.
​The integration of highly qualified professionals with an intercultural international background and the equal participation of women and men are two of our guiding principles.
Hunt was appointed in 1993 as ambassador to Austria, where she was notable for writing a weekly newspaper column and radio program.
In 1997, Hunt helped establish the Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Since stepping down as Director of the Program in 2008, she has continued on at the Kennedy School as the Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy.
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Balkan Negotiating Partners
In 2003, Vienna CM Partners (now VS Initiatives) and CSSP began exchanging best practices, and from 2005 onwards, our team complemented the activities of Dr. Christian Schwarz-Schilling's team in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Macedonia.
Vienna Negotiation Project
The Vienna Negotiation Project* aims to collaborate and form partnerships with relevant and interested national and international stakeholders—such as representatives from academia, politics, business, and the media—in all of its activities. We incorporate diverse perspectives and backgrounds—both in terms of content and process design, as well as in the involvement of people.
The mission is to
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provide analytical frameworks for the systematic and collaborative resolution of real-world problems
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provide useful tools for practitioners who want to help shape the world we live in
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conduct practice-oriented research
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achieve sustainable outcomes in high-level negotiations and disputes in collaboration with the Vienna Facilitator Team
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The Vienna Negotiation Project is inspired by the Harvard Negotiation Project (HNP), which was founded in 1979 at the urging and with the assistance of William Ury and Bruce Patton—both of whom were teaching and research assistants at the time and are now renowned experts—under the leadership of Professor Roger Fisher. Later, when the Program on Negotiations (PON) was launched, the HNP became part of it.
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* Our initiative is referred to as a “project” rather than a program or institute to counteract the tendency of organizations to become overly preoccupied with ensuring their own survival
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