In addition, the Government has to manage a prolonged economic downturn, instability in the world around us, anxious households and unemployment that risks becoming entrenched, so it may well be that the autumn budget’s scope for reform focuses on areas other than the higher education sector.
It is well known, not least through the Research and Innovation Bill, that the Government focuses on excellence, innovation and internationalisation and these are criteria that are well suited to Lund University. The Government has also long emphasised quality over quantity in education. Among other things, this has resulted in several areas of education being strengthened in recent years, but in the humanities and theology, social sciences and law the compensation level per student has increased but without new funding being allocated. This means that fewer students are able to find places and the affected faculties have participated in workshops during the spring in order to find better ways to balance the number of study places.
In this year’s autumn budget it is the price tag for music that has increased without new funding being allocated. Furthermore, it is stated that control of the range of programmes needs to be developed to ensure the range is relevant for the needs of society and the labour market. This could be seen as self-evident – no one wants to offer irrelevant programmes but it is problematic if university programmes are seen solely as market programmes – the assignment is much greater than that and the expertise at the faculties also needs to a great extent (or entirely) govern the range of programmes at higher education institutions. The Government does state that control is to be exercised with maintained autonomy but the sector needs to be vigilant concerning increased political control.
New funding in accordance with the Research and Innovation Bill is allocated in line with the Swedish Research Council’s new indicators and here Lund University has fared well with the highest amount (SEK 23.6 million). Based on the indicators, five per cent of half the base grant, excluding SRA funding, is also allocated and the University has come out fairly well with an additional SEK 3.7 million. I write “fairly” here because in all honesty we estimated the allocation would be higher based on our own internal calculations. How the allocation has been done and why we have the present outcome will hopefully become clearer in due course. In total, Lund University received an increase in research funding of SEK 27.3 million.
I have had several discussions with the ministry about how a joint agreement for higher education institutions to fund parts of MAX IV could be achieved. The fact that the Government now states in the budget that the increased research funding makes it possible for the higher education institutions to ensure the operation of MAX IV and that it is reasonable for those who use the facility to also contribute to its funding sends a signal that it is up to the higher education institutions to sit down at the negotiating table. I would have wished that this could have been resolved some other way.
/ Erik Renström, Vice-Chancellor
