Update from the Executive Board on 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.
This is to update you on the continuing process regarding the cuts we are facing now and in the future. We understand that this issue raises many questions and concerns. In this update we therefore want to be as open as possible about the background to the cuts, the current status and the steps we will take to absorb the impact of the cuts as best we can. In the meantime, together with numerous other educational institutions and other organisations, we continue to oppose the cuts in various ways.
Background
The current government’s plans mean Leiden University faces a series of cuts because of both the coalition agreement and the possible effects of the Balanced Internationalisation Act. Their impact will be significant, and these cuts come on top of the budget deficits for 2025-2029 that we are already aware of.
To ensure the financial sustainability of our university, we need to make structural cuts. We will do our very best to distribute this burden as fairly and carefully as possible while being mindful of the quality of our research and teaching.
Low-hanging fruit
At present, we are engaged in an initial cutback exercise by focusing on the ‘low-hanging fruit’. These are savings that we can make at very short notice amounting to around 2m euros. Examples of this low-hanging fruit include savings relating to hiring external staff, renting external locations and travelling abroad. Aligning the opening hours of buildings in Leiden and The Hague and consolidating evening and weekend opening hours can also result in substantial savings. The plans will be discussed with various councils including the University Council this month.
By making these savings as soon as possible, we can already take the first steps in the period up to the publication of the 2026-2030 Framework Memorandum towards the healthiest possible financial management in the years to come.
Working group
The Executive Board will establish a special working group (Werkgroup Andere Tijden 2026) that will draw up a list of concrete and feasible proposals for savings to the 2026 budget. For the period 2027-2030, the working group will prepare a plan for possible cuts in those years.
The working group is chaired by Koen Caminada, Dean of the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs. The other members are Erwin Muller, Vice-Rector of Organisational Development; Jan Crijns, Vice-Dean of Leiden Law School; Suzanne van der Pluijm, Executive Director of the faculty of Science; and Karin van den Elzen, Director of Finance. This group will be supported in its work by various staff and services from the university.
Objectives of the working group
In developing its proposals the working group will give the highest priority to ensuring the quality and continuity of our research and teaching. The working group has therefore been asked to consider the following in its remit:
- Quality and continuity first: the quality of our research and teaching remains our top priority
- Minimise disruption to core tasks: the primary tasks of faculties should be affected as little as possible
- Limit social impact: we want to cushion the effects for students and staff as much as possible
To conclude
Higher education in the Netherlands will have to absorb some blows in the coming years. And the effects will also be felt in Leiden. The Board, our directors and numerous other staff members are already working incredibly hard to provide more clarity as soon as possible. We will keep you posted on further developments.
The Board will also regularly seek contact with various departments within our community. It is extremely important to us to hear what is going on and about people’s experiences. We will also keep you informed about this.
Finally, we would like to ask our community to continue to stand together. The upcoming cuts will affect us all and their effects will be felt across the board. That makes it so important that we face these challenges together and get through these tough times as best we can.