Johannes Kepler Universität Linz

05/06/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/06/2026 06:08

Vampire Cup: 234 JKU Members Donate 100 Liters of Blood

For the first time, the JKU was part of this special university competition.

from left: Haneschläger, Forsthuber, Merkl, Mayr; Credit: JKU

The Vampire Cup is a competition of Austrian universities to give their best - their blood. Every 90 seconds a blood bottle is needed in Austria - whereas only 3.35% of Austrians donate blood regularly. This means that every donation counts.

Saving lives while supporting the JKU to win the cup - that was the driving force for 234 JKU members to donate 100 liters of blood on May 5 in the Kepler Hall on the JKU Auhof campus as well as the medical campus at the Red Cross mobile stations. It is especially worth noting that almost one fourth of all persons donated their blood for the first time.

"For many years, the JKU has been cooperating closely with the Upper Austrian Red Cross. Many JKU students and employees are volunteering at the Red Cross Linz North-JKU, located on the Auhof campus. That is why I am so happy that we are taking part in the Vampire Cup this year for the first time, especially as so many JKU members followed the call and donated their blood," says JKU Rector Univ. Prof. Dr. Stefan Koch. "I would expressly like to thank the JKU works council, the ÖH, and the JKU Astros, who actively supported us at the Vampire Cup."

"The close cooperation with the Johannes Kepler University Linz is essential for us. The fact that so many students and employees took an active part at the Vampire Cup makes it even more gratifying. This commitment does not only support the blood supply, but also shows the companionship for humanitarian reasons," says Dr. Günter Mayr, vice-president of the Upper Austrian Red Cross.

The competition continues! The Vampire Cup goes on until May 31. JKU members who would like to donate blood can do so at the blood donation center Linz next to the JKU Med campus and save lives with their blood. In addition, they also support their university to win the cup by contributing to the JKU 'blood account'.

Find the updated status of the Vampire Cup here, opens an external URL in a new window.

Johannes Kepler Universität Linz published this content on May 06, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 06, 2026 at 12:08 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]