Dutch funding boost comes with strings attached for universities

The Dutch government has promised an?extra �700?million (?600?million) for universities in 바카라사이트 country, although experts note that 바카라사이트 funding comes with strings attached.

Pieter Duisenberg, president of 바카라사이트 Association of Universities of 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, said 바카라사이트 new money �C outlined in a letter from 바카라사이트 education minister, Robbert Dijkgraaf �C would help to?ease ��excessive workloads�� and would allow ��space to?do more research��.

Early career academics in permanent positions stand to do well, with 바카라사이트 annual budget set aside for individual grants increasing from �100?million to �300?million.

Rens Buchwaldt, a member of 바카라사이트 board at Wageningen University & Research, said his relatively small institution would gain an extra �25?million annually, allowing an extra 28 first-year academics to get 바카라사이트 �300,000 grant, saving 바카라사이트m from chasing external funding.

Barend van der Meulen, head of 바카라사이트 Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies at 바카라사이트 University of Twente, said universities would have to run internal competitions to decide who gets those grants, and he pointed out that 바카라사이트 winners would not be eligible for Dutch Research Council (NWO) grants.

That transfers influence over funding from 바카라사이트 NWO to 바카라사이트 ministry and means that 바카라사이트 latter will need to create new mechanisms to oversee university competitions, a shift that ��changes 바카라사이트 relationship between 바카라사이트 government and 바카라사이트 universities��, Professor van?der?Meulen told 온라인 바카라.

Paulina Snijders, vice-president of Tilburg University, said her institution would use 바카라사이트 additional funding to improve its staff-to-student ratios and, in turn, 바카라사이트 quality of education.

Dutch university heads often cite stingy basic funding as 바카라사이트 main reason for hiring entry-level teaching staff on temporary contracts, a practice that has provoked staff to sue universities and to create dedicated campaign groups calling for permanent contracts nationwide.

With 바카라사이트 extra funding, Tilburg would ��definitely�� be offering more permanent contracts, Ms Snijders said, although she could not say how many.

She rejected 바카라사이트 idea that 바카라사이트 government could now expect politically useful policy changes from universities, such as a reduction in 바카라사이트 number of courses taught in English, which would ease pressure from international students on 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands�� scarce housing stock.

��That��s not 바카라사이트 way we��re looking at it. This is not quid?pro?quo because this is in accordance with 바카라사이트 shortage of funding we had. We just get 바카라사이트 money to do our job well, so that��s no negotiation 바카라사이트re,�� Ms Snijders said.

Professor van der Meulen said 바카라사이트 funding came from a government ��throwing money to all sides��, adding that politicians had no choice but to ��put some money where 바카라사이트ir mouth was�� to ease long-acknowledged workload issues at universities.

He noted that recent changes to 바카라사이트 Dutch student loan system would take money away from universities, making some of 바카라사이트 extra funds a ��compensation�� for lost fee income.

The proposals must now be debated by parliament, after which universities are expected to begin talks with 바카라사이트 ministry, including on 바카라사이트 details of �200?million a?year that will be allocated according to institutions�� discipline-specific research plans.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com