The deep cuts devised by the New Coalition for Science will have a “crippling effect and set back education and research” if they continue. The heads of the councils of the four scientific fields warned of this in an urgent message to the heads of the parties in the House of Representatives and others. Almost all Dutch university faculties are represented on the boards.
The four presidents wrote that they were “astonished” by the intention of PVV, VVD, NSC and BBB to cut €215 million annually on the sector’s dedicated long-term plans. These plans were approved only a year and a half ago and aim to enhance the quality of Dutch higher education and research. If it is completely abolished, as the coalition wants, “painful and costly reorganizations” will be necessary, according to the professors. The funds will be used, among other things, for infrastructure and to pay the salaries of 1,200 permanent employees.
In terms of content, scholars also described the passage as “incomprehensible.” The two parties have also codified all kinds of ambitions in their basic agreement for which scientific research is essential. The letter’s authors point, for example, to the “strategic independence in technology,” a sustainable healthcare sector, and an “innovative agriculture and livestock sector” that both parties say they are seeking to achieve.
“Sector plans make a crucial contribution to social issues, but without resources this contribution is significantly reduced,” say the heads of the four councils of TU Eindhoven, Utrecht University, Amsterdam UMC and Leiden University.
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