UNI­verse: Acti­va­tion for stu­dents

Students at the University of Innsbruck now have access to UNIverse: a cloud platform to facilitate collaboration in groups. UNIverse can be used to save and share files in the cloud, and also offers functions for chats, video calls and project planning.

The Central IT Service (ZID) provides all students at the University of Innsbruck with access to UNIverse at the start of the summer semester. Employees have been able to use UNIverse since November last year.

Key facts

  • UNIverse provides storage space in the cloud (10 GB per student)
  • Access via https://universe.uibk.ac.at/
  • UNIverse will replace the previous Fileshare cloud storage platform at the end of June 2026.
  • As before with Fileshare, private data may be stored.
  • UNIverse is a collaboration platform and offers other functions in addition to file storage space, such as chat, video telephony, joint editing of files, etc.

 

Are you an employee?

As an employee, you can also access UNIverse via the link https://universe.uibk.ac.at/. Information on the terms of use (storage space etc.) for employees can be found in the Intranet. The transition period until the replacement of Fileshare runs for employees until 31 July 2026.

How can I use UNIverse?

UNIverse combines numerous functions on one platform, enabling seamless linking of work steps: for example, you can share a document in the chat and it is then automatically filed with your files.

Functions

Some of the central functions are

  • Dashboard: Provides a complete overview and can be configured individually.
  • Files: Store folders and files in the cloud and share them with others; versioning to track changes.
  • Live editing of documents: The open source software Collabora offers the same functions as Microsoft Office and enables collaborative work on online documents.
  • Talk: Chat as well as audio and video calls.
  • Deck: Project planning tool with Kanban boards.
  • Notes: Personal notes into which documents, tasks and much more can be directly integrated.
  • Collectives: Create shared knowledge databases or collections of ideas; documents, tasks and much more can be directly linked and integrated.

Tip: You can find tutorials and detailed instructions at Information page of the ZID on the UNIverse.

Apps & desktop clients

You can use UNIverse in three ways: via the web interface, via a desktop client and via apps for mobile devices:

1) Web interface: Can be used directly in the browser without installation - access via https://universe.uibk.ac.at/.

2) Desktop client: Automatically synchronises files between your computer and the cloud. This allows you to access the files stored in UNIverse via your usual file management system (such as Files on a Mac or Microsoft Windows Explorer). You can find installation instructions at here.

3) Mobile apps: Enable access to files, chat, voice and video calls from your smartphone. An overview of the available apps and links for installation can be found at here.

Replacement of Fileshare and Easyconference

In summer 2026, UNIverse will replace our previous cloud storage platform Fileshare and the web conferencing tool Easyconference, which was previously available to students.

If you have stored data on Fileshare, it is advisable to download it there as soon as possible and save it elsewhere (e.g. on UNIverse). Detailed information and instructions will follow in the course of the semester.

How long can I still use Fileshare?

Students can use Fileshare until 30 June 2026, employees until 31 July 2026.

Instead of Easyconference, students will be able to use UNIverse's Talk function to hold web conferences in future.

Good to know: You can of course continue to use the Microsoft Office package. The University of Innsbruck provides students with Access for Microsoft365, which allows them to use locally installed Microsoft programmes and apps (Word, Excel, etc.). However, cloud storage space on OneDrive is not available for students.

Data security through own hosting

UNIverse is based on the open source platform Nextcloud and is operated on the servers of the University of Innsbruck. This means that all files stored and shared via UNIverse remain on our servers in Innsbruck. In this way, the University of Innsbruck can ensure sovereignty over its own data in the future and remains independent of large commercial cloud providers.

Further information

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