Minister Letschert outlines new course: hundreds of millions more for higher education

Education minister Rianne Letschert (D66) and state secretary Judith Tielen (VVD) have outlined their policy in a letter to the House of Representatives. The new government is allocating €1.5 billion to education and research.

Given that the minority government of D66, CDA and VVD requires the support of opposition parties for all its proposals, in both the House and the Senate, nothing is set in stone yet. In other words, this ‘policy letter’ should be seen as an opening bid.

The government plans to spend €582 million of the €1.5 billion in new funding on higher education, research and innovation. Increasing the basic grant for students living away from home by €50 a month is expected to cost €109 million.

Talent from abroad

While the previous government wanted to reduce the number of international students, the new coalition has a different view. Higher education institutions will once again be given the opportunity to attract talent from abroad, with €154 million earmarked for recruitment.

The relaxation should focus mainly on sectors ‘where the societal challenges are most urgent’

The government is emphasising the importance of targeted recruitment, however, which should focus mainly on sectors “where the societal challenges are most urgent and which preserve knowledge and innovation ecosystems in the region”.

Moreover, if the number of international students increases in one sector, this needs to be offset by reducing the number of places on English-language programmes in another sector. Higher education institutions will be given the freedom to manage this as they see fit, in line with their desire for autonomy.

Funding sector plans

Of the €428 million going to research, €128 million will fund universities’ so-called sector plans, which outline the division of tasks and specialisations in education and research at the national level. The government’s goal for these plans is to ensure more cooperation and less competition.

From 2030 onwards, the government is setting aside €127 million for European cooperation in scientific research

Another portion of the funding will be allocated to practice-oriented research by universities of applied sciences. Over the next few years, the budget for this will increase by €20 million , before eventually reaching €68 million . Practice-based research in senior secondary vocational education is set to receive an additional €17 million.

From 2030 onwards, the government is setting aside €127 million for European cooperation in scientific research. This money will be used to fund partnerships with other universities, but also to match European research funding – sometimes the EU does not cover the full cost of a research project, meaning the national government must pay the rest.

Einstein Telescope

Letschert also plans to allocate an extra €25 million to the construction of the proposed Einstein Telescope, an underground observatory that will use laser interferometers in long tunnels to detect gravitational waves.

It remains to be seen whether this ‘telescope’ will actually be built at the proposed site. The Netherlands wants to build it in Limburg, together with scientific partners from Belgium and Germany. But there are two other candidates vying for the telescope: the Italian island of Sardinia and the German state of Saxony.

Former foreign minister and state secretary for European affairs Ben Knapen has been appointed ‘special envoy’ for the Einstein Telescope, a position he will take up this summer.

Digital infrastructure

According to the letter to the House of Representatives, the government also wants to invest in digital scientific infrastructure, “for example through an additional one-off €185 million contribution to the successor of the national supercomputer Snellius”.

Umbrella organisation UNL has released a statement expressing support for the proposed funding

This would be the last such funding, however: “In future, we expect institutions to take responsibility by annually setting aside sufficient funds for a potential successor.”

Response

The government’s plans are welcome news for the research universities. Umbrella organisation UNL has released a statement expressing support for the proposed funding. President Caspar van den Berg commented: “After two years in which the Netherlands, with its knowledge-based economy, was hard hit by budget cuts, this course correction is an important step towards the recovery and strengthening of our universities.”

The universities of applied sciences are also optimistic. “We appreciate the government’s commitment to investing in education and research at universities of applied sciences in the coming years”, says Maurice Limmen, president of the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences.

The Dutch Student Union (LSVb), on the other hand, is not quite ready to break out the champagne. “It’s nice that the basic grant is going up by 50 euros, but that’s not going to solve students’ problems”, says president Maaike Krom. “We need a lot more to make ends meet.” The union is also concerned about the erosion of social security. On 1 May – Labour Day – the LSVb will be joining other unions in a protest in Amsterdam.

HOP, Bas Belleman

Translation: Taalcentrum-VU