Update Executive Board: The consequences of the announced budget cuts
The Schoof cabinet has presented its budget. As expected, higher education is facing severe cuts. In the coming period, the Executive Board will regularly look at the consequences of what it deems an irresponsible policy.
Martijn Ridderbos: ‘We’re currently working hard to complete the budget for 2025 and will then discuss it with the University Council and the Board of Governors. However, we still have two major areas of uncertainty. One issue is the proposed Balanced Internationalisation Act (WIB): what will this mean for universities, and specifically for us? The other issue is: what are the consequences of the fine for late graduation that the cabinet wants to introduce – for students and also for the university?’
The loss of the Starter Grants and Incentive Grants from 1 January 2025, which is a certainty, has already been incorporated in the budget for 2025. The same applies for maintaining the sector plans. But the bottom line effect is the same, namely a loss of funding that one way or another will be certain to have negative consequences for our teaching and research.
Ridderbos, the Executive Board member responsible for finances, regularly holds informal discussions with the University Council about the budget. ‘This is a complex time when we want to involve everyone, and of course that also includes the co-participation bodies, as far as possible. In 2025 we will be able to implement most of the plans that we established with the 2025 framework memorandum, partly because we had our finances in good order over the past few years. In these plans we took account of the economies in the faculties, expertise centres and Administration & Central Services. I cannot rule out that we will have to make even more economies. However we look at it, we are facing difficult times – in any event for the years from 2026 to 2029.’
To prepare ourselves well for this more difficult period, we will have to take measures now that will strengthen our financial buffer in the short term, says Ridderbos. ‘This is also because the government will not make any money available to compensate for the costs of the transition and any possible reorganisations. Three internal working groups made up of staff from Administration & Central Services, the expertise centres and the faculties are currently developing plans for the (management) structure of the university (1), the costs (2) and the benefits (3) that might possibly compensate for the cutbacks.’
He concludes: ‘All this means that we have now drawn up the budget for 2025, but can only produce a provisional outline for the years from 2026 to 2029. We hope in the autumn to receive more information about the dossier on internationalisation and the late graduation fine, so that we have a better idea of where we stand. As soon as we have any further information, we will get back to you.’