The two public universities claim increases in their 2023 allocation to address the lack of reserves
The two public universities in the Region have started the course with trembling current accounts, and without the capacity to face unforeseen expenses. The University of Murcia (UMU) and the Polytechnic of Cartagena (UPCT) have been warning of their delicate economic situation for many months, and demanding speed from the regional Administration in negotiating the financing plan, which continues to be delayed and without upcoming appointments.
The regional government and the two rectors began to lay the foundations for the future plan, which in principle will be valid for three years, last June after months of technical meetings to assess the previous one. The formula that will specify the accounts until 2025 was agreed with the previous director of Universities (who presented his resignation in July), but the key step is still not specified: formulating that theoretical approach with figures.
The agreement is urgent, the rectors insist, because the multi-year plan includes the financing agreement for 2023, which must be finalized as soon as possible: “We are already very late,” lamented José Luján, rector of the UMU. That budget, next year’s, claim the two rectors, should include an increase of more than 12% compared to this year.
The accounts that the University of Murcia has presented to the Ministry contemplate an allocation of between 192 and 195 million euros for 2023. This year, the nominative subsidy has remained at 170 million euros. The rector explains the reasons that justify this increase: «In this last year we have had to spend the remainder due to the increase in the electricity bill and natural growth. Right now we don’t have a surplus, the situation is dramatic », he warns. The UPCT faces a very similar situation: «We are rescuing money from other vice-chancellors, for example from internal research, to be able to pay for electricity and other maintenance expenses that have arisen. We are in a very urgent situation”, claims the rector, Beatriz Miguel. Her university has requested an allocation of 52 million euros, 6.7 million euros more than in the current year.
The urgency of the two universities has not found, for the moment, a response, since no upcoming appointment is planned to resume the negotiation with the regional Administration, although it is possible that a meeting will be closed before the official opening ceremony of the university course, to be held in the UPCT Auditorium on October 3.
Months ago, economic straits led the two public universities in the Region to design cost containment plans, which included the closure of all campus buildings during the month of August and the restriction of maintenance and renovation costs. of buildings, in addition to suppressing air conditioning and heating until certain temperature thresholds are exceeded.
The previous multi-year financing plan expired in 2020, but the pandemic situation delayed the start of negotiations, which have been accumulating new delays since then. The main lines of the agreement were left practically closed by the previous director of Universities. The formula is based on concepts such as the credits given in the institutions, their total expenditure on personnel, the workforce, the students weighted by branch of knowledge and the surface area of the infrastructures, among others.
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