Update from the Faculty Board: budget, innovation, and celebration
Our 450th anniversary year is coming to a close and a new year full of promise is just around the corner. On 16 December, we will mark this moment in festive spirit with our Happy Holidays Drinks. In the meantime, we would like to inform you about some important developments at our faculty. On the eve of a new budget year, we are pressing on with innovations in our education and research, while also taking further steps to professionalise our processes.
2026 budget
The faculty has received a number of positive boosts for the coming year. The university, for example, is providing an additional contribution of 3.06 percent to compensate for the recent pay increase in the collective labour agreement. Although this does not cover the full rise in salary costs, the remaining impact is limited and can be absorbed within the budget.
Resources for quality improvements
In addition, a remaining portion from the resources for quality improvements has been made available. We use this funding in a targeted way to temporarily provide extra capacity to departments that need it. For example, situations where the teaching load increases due to curriculum changes, transitional arrangements, or the preparation of new courses.
Work pressure and talent policy
The university has also made a substantial amount from the remainder of the incentive grants available for Work Pressure and Talent Policy. This will enable us to boost the implementation of the Recognition & Rewards programme and strengthen the activities of the Graduate School. In addition, €500,000 will be distributed among the institutes on the basis of the education allocation. This can create extra research capacity for assistant professors, among others. The division within the institute is done following close consultation and is linked as far as possible to the strategic priorities of the faculty and the institutes.
Education
Our new and restructured bachelor’s and master’s programmes have been running at full capacity for three months now, and the first results appear to paint a cautiously positive picture. At the same time, a lot of work is still ongoing. For instance, developing the range of minors to be offered in the fifth semester (academic year 2027/2028) and the further development of teaching methods and skills lines that are part of the new curricula.
Research
We are also making progress in the field of research. Changes, in particular, are being made within the Graduate School for Legal Studies which is to have a director and a management board. The management board will consist of the portfolio holder for research, an academic member, an external academic member, and a representative of the PhD candidates. By strengthening the management board, the research portfolio holder, Dean Suzan Stoter, will be able to focus more on the policy side of our research domain in her role. You can read more about the structure of the Graduate School for Legal Studies here.
Important date BAS InSite
A major step within our organisation is the transition from SAP to BAS InSite, our new platform for personnel data, processes and overviews. All employees will notice certain changes, but it is particularly important that managers familiarise themselves with the system in good time. They will soon receive targeted training for this. The transition will start on 30 November 2025. This means that administrative matters, such as employer's statements and changes to the Individual Choices Model, must be processed before this date. In this extra announcement you can read what must be arranged before the transition period from 30 November 2025 to 5 January 2026.
Employee Experience Survey
Finally, we would like to reflect on the results of the employee experience survey. From the responses received, we are proud to note the clear appreciation among staff and the strong connection they feel with the university and faculty. At the same time, we believe it is important to take steps together to strengthen employees’ trust in the organisation. High work pressure and social safety are also areas that require further attention. We will therefore act in accordance with the university-wide approach to the four action lines – strategy, leadership, work pressure, and communication – that are being developed by the Executive Board. In addition, managers will gather suggestions for improvements from their own teams and, together with HR, develop an implementation plan.
Happy Holidays Drinks and Christmas market
As mentioned earlier, we will mark the end of our 450th anniversary year during the Happy Holidays Drinks on 16 December. There will also be a Christmas market where all staff can choose their own Christmas gift. We hope to welcome you all there!
If you have any questions about this update, please send an email to bestuurssecretaris@law.leidenuniv.nl.