Brussels, 12/12/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European University Association (EUA) has published a new report on the financing of universities in Europe. Faced with rising costs, universities are finding it increasingly difficult to raise sufficient funding in a context of stagnating public investment and economic slowdown. The EUA report shows how universities meet growing financial pressure and seek to defend themselves. Based on an in-depth European study, the report recommends that universities initially identify the overall cost of their activity in order to set a complete financing system in place that, alone, will ensure their independence. The report also calls on national governments to recognise the importance of giving universities the necessary autonomy for their viability and of helping them set in place a system allowing full funding for academic activity. The authors of the report also consider it essential for European financing systems to simplify and develop their funding rules in order to adjust to the needs of universities in this area and thus to strengthen their contribution to the European higher education and research areas.
The EUA study demonstrates that full costing of universities is beneficial for national governments as well as at European level and that it should therefore be the main long-term objective of higher education establishments for gaining complete autonomy. This scheme brings many advantages: - it allows better budget breakdown, better management of activities, more adequate decision making, and a more systematic approach in the analysis and cost of activity. At present, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have managed to set up such a system. The process is underway in Sweden, Ireland and Austria but it does not exist at all in the Czech Republic, Poland and Estonia. On the subject of persistent problems, the study points at the lack of support from governments, whether in direct financial contributions, consultative support or adequate personnel training. More competitive European universities would allow Europe to acquire a better reputation in the world, the authors say. (I.L./transl.jl)