Educational institutions and governing bodies concur on recently drafted agreements - Institutions and administrative bodies finalize fresh agreements
In a surprising turn of events, the CDU-SPD Senate in Berlin has suspended the revised university funding contracts for the 2024-28 period, leading to the withholding of funds initially agreed upon for the city's universities. This decision has forced universities to dip into reserves and eliminate positions and courses, as well as reduce approximately 25,000 student places across Berlin's institutions.
The austerity measures, amounting to about €145 million, consist of cuts to operational budgets (staff, materials, administration) totaling €135 million and €10 million from capital funding (buildings and equipment). These cuts have been met with widespread protests from students, academic staff, and university workers.
Initially, the Berlin Senate had pledged to increase university budgets by 5% annually up to 2028. However, this commitment has been reversed due to federal government priorities, including a €1 trillion war budget. This reversal affects all major Berlin universities, with the Free University expecting 14% fewer student places, the Technical University about 5,000 fewer, and Humboldt University facing cuts of 10–20% in student places.
Despite the lack of explicit details on changes to pension payment relief in these revised contracts, Berlin's state intends to take over all pension payments for universities from January 2026, providing relief of around 120 million euros over the next three years. A solidarity model has also been agreed upon, with 156 million euros to be used between 2026 and 2028, particularly to support smaller universities.
The amended university contracts, originally signed in 2024, had planned for an annual increase of five percent. However, the annual subsidy for Berlin's universities will now increase by approximately 3 to 3.5 percent annually until 2028. The House of Representatives has yet to vote on the contracts, which are currently not approved or enacted.
The universities and the science administration have reached an agreement to amend the contracts, with the SPD politician, Ina Czyborra, announcing the agreement after months of negotiations to amend the university contracts. The universities will absorb around 140 million euros in cuts this year, which will not be changed.
The universities' lawsuit against the administration will be off the table if all parties sign the contract legally and if the Senate and the House of Representatives adhere to the contract in the future. Julia von Blumenthal, President of Humboldt University, expects feedback from university presidents in August, while Ina Czyborra, the Science Senator, thanked the universities for the constructive negotiations despite difficult conditions.
The investment in Berlin's universities over the next four years is estimated to be around 6.8 billion euros. The state universities, including the major universities, the University of the Arts, Charité University Medicine, the University of Technology, and the Hanns Eisler University of Music, will be impacted by these changes.
This news has sparked significant protests and concerns within the university communities, as they grapple with the implications of these funding cuts and the suspension of the contracts. The future of Berlin's universities remains uncertain as they navigate these challenging times.
- In light of the suspension of the revised university funding contracts, the proposed vocational training initiatives within the community policy might face financial challenges, as funds have been withheld due to the general news of budget cuts.
- As the universities look for ways to manage the financial deficit, they may consider turning to sources such as education-and-self-development programs or seeking support from political entities, given the involvement of finance and politics in this issue.
