The Central European University is in talks to open a branch campus in Vienna amid continuing uncertainty over its future in Budapest.

Since March last year, the university¡¯s future in Hungary has been imperilled?by government legislation, which academics see as a politically motivated attack on its liberal democratic mission. The law imposed a range of restrictions on overseas universities operating in Hungary, including the need to maintain a campus in their home country.

In October, the CEU signed a memorandum of understanding with Bard College that would see the CEU deliver ¡°educational activities¡± in New York, creating what the university called ¡°the basis for an agreement¡± with Viktor Orb¨¢n¡¯s government.

However, the Hungarian government is yet to sign up to the agreement, having extended the deadline for compliance with the new law until 2019.

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In its latest announcement, the CEU insists that it is committed to staying in Budapest but reveals that it is in negotiations to open a campus in the Austrian capital.

Michael Ignatieff, CEU¡¯s president, said that establishing an outpost in Vienna ¡°will give CEU¡¯s faculty and students exciting new opportunities¡±.

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But he added: ¡°Even as we develop a CEU Vienna, Budapest will remain our home base. We are committed to resolving our long-term future in Budapest.¡±

The memorandum of understanding with the city of Vienna would commit the CEU to a 99-year lease, ¡°making for a long-term commitment to the city¡±, according a statement from the university.

¡°As the largest German-speaking university city, close to CEU¡¯s home base in Budapest, Vienna offers ideal conditions for a new site¡±, it said.

david.matthews@timeshighereducation.com