How big will the budget cuts be in the higher education and research sector? Apprehension is great as Prime Minister Michel Barnier is due to deliver his general policy speech on Tuesday 1Ahem October, and that the draft budget for 2025 must be presented by the government on October 9. And meanwhile, according to the Francia Universités association, which brings together the presidents of institutions, the number of deficit universities will increase to 60 out of 75 in 2024, compared to 30 in 2023 and 15 in 2022.
The savings paths outlined in the “ceiling letter”, communicated to the ministry by former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal when he prepared a draft budget for 2025, provided for a reduction of 320 million euros for the field of higher education and research, for a total budget of 31.3 billion euros.
Or more than 60% of the additional effort included in the research programming law, approved in 2020. “We expected an acceleration of the budgets of the research programming law, and we are going to have to fight simply to preserve it”criticizes Boris Gralak, secretary general of the National Union of Scientific Researchers (SNCS-FSU).
A “precipice of austerity”
This reduction occurs after budget cuts, in February, of 588 million euros for the ministry (and 904 million for the research and higher education “mission”). “All these savings mean we are bankrupt”indicates Boris Gralak, who recalls that 300 million euros are equivalent to approximately 10% of the public allocation to the CNRS or the university budget.
During the handover on September 23, former Minister of Higher Education and Research Sylvie Retailleau stated that “inhabited by worry” in terms of financing, but he received no guarantees from his successor, management sciences professor Patrick Hetzel, Les Républicains (LR) deputy for the Bas-Rhin. Former rector of the Limoges academy (2005-2007) and former director of higher education ( 2008-2012) simply claimed to have higher education and research. “stuck to the body”.
it’s a “austerity cliff” what is coming, fears the Snesup-FSU teachers union, which estimates that, overall, this year, the increase in the university budget (+ 1.3%) will remain below inflation, expected around + 2 .6%. “Higher education is only held together by the overtime imposed on incumbents and the employment of part-time and subcontracted workers.”says Anne Roger, its co-secretary general.
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