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.
On the eve of a significant milestone for our university, we find it difficult to update you on the latest developments regarding the budget cuts. We think it is important to communicate as transparently as possible about this matter, even though we don’t have all the details yet.
Hard work is going on behind the scenes to mitigate the effects of the cuts. According to the current prognoses, we will need to make an additional 4.5 million euros in structural budget cuts by 2026 (on top of the planned budget reductions) as a result of the coalition agreement and the initial projections for the introduction of the Balanced Internationalisation Act. This sum will increase in the years that follow.
We informed you in our last update about the special working group (Werkgroup Andere Tijden 2026) created by the Board. Below we will share more information about the working group’s preparations and objectives as well as the the Framework Memorandum 2026-2030. This memorandum forms the basis of the budgets for the coming years.
Preliminary work
Three working groups began brainstorming possible cuts in mid-2024: the ‘Costs’, ‘Benefits’ and ‘Organisational Development’ groups. Their work amounted to the preliminary work for the Andere Tijden working group.
Vice-Rector Erwin Muller has started looking at our organisational development, in particular effectiveness and efficiency. Our university’s vision for the future cannot be considered in isolation from the planned cuts. This work is underway and we will let you know more about this in the spring.
Working group objectives
The Andere Tijden working group’s mandate will focus on allocations in the Framework Memorandum that are not earmarked by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science but are specific to Leiden (the ‘specific allocations’). The working group has been asked to provide feasible and concrete proposals for cuts to the 2026 budget, with savings increasing in the later years of the budget period. The working group will also need to take account of the costs needed to realise certain savings measures.
The Executive Board will discuss and use the outcome of this process as input for the Framework Memorandum. Contact will be maintained with the University Council and faculties throughout this process.
We realise this situation will be extremely difficult for everyone involved, particularly staff whose work may be directly affected by the decision-making concerning the specific budget allocations.
It is not clear at present which specific activities will be affected by the cuts. The Andere Tijden working group will work with the departments that are currently funded by these allocations. The Executive Board will oversee this process to ensure it is followed carefully.
Other savings
In our previous update, we mentioned the ‘Low-hanging fruit’, which should enable us to save around 2 million euros. The list of possible savings has since been discussed with directors and deans, and will be elaborated on further by the faculties and expertise centres.
The Preliminary Framework Memorandum 2026-2030 indicates that an additional responsibility for budget cuts also lies with the expertise centres and Administration and Central Services. The Real Estate and IT investment plans will also be reviewed to see what additional budget cuts are possible.
In closing
As we all know, these are tough times for higher education in the Netherlands. There will be less funding for research and teaching. It is incredibly upsetting for all of us to see what we have built together at risk.
On 7 February our university is celebrating its 450th anniversary. This will be an event with tears and laughter. On the one hand, we are proud of all we have achieved but on the other, we are facing a bleak future. It goes without saying that this anniversary year will have a subdued character.
We would like to emphasise once again that we, together with the deans, directors and numerous other colleagues, will continue to do all we can to mitigate the effects of the government’s planned cuts.
Attached documents (Dutch only)
We have attached a guide and the two documents mentioned above to this update. These are the Preliminary Framework Memorandum and the mandate to the working group.