The global economic downturn has affected each European
country's science and education system differently. Some countries are pumping
more money into higher education, while in others, the weakening economy hasn't
had much of an effect because science and education were already chronically
underfunded.
But most countries lie somewhere in the middle, and last week the European University Association released a Snapshot of the impact of the economic crisis on European universities. The report notes that universities in Norway haven't felt any direct effects yet; universities in Denmark will receive extra funds for research that the government put aside in 2006. Budget cuts for universities are being proposed or have been enacted in Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, and Poland.
In Germany, a government stimulus package will pump money toward university infrastructure. In the U.K., funds that relied on endowments have suffered, as have universities with investments in Icelandic banks. However, no change in government funding is expected. In Greece, "Chronic under-financing of Greek universities should not be eclipsed by the current economic crisis," the report states.
Outside of universities, there are examples of fiscal belt-tightening. For example, in the Netherlands, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences has suspended several of its smaller funds because of concerns about returns on capital investments. In the U.K., the Wellcome Trust released a statement this month announcing that the charity, whose assets have dropped £2 billion compared with last year, is cutting its 2008/9 budget by £30 million, to £590 million. The organization has also warned its grant applicants that there will probably be increased competition for upcoming grant cycles due to reductions in funds elsewhere.
Our colleagues over at ScienceInsider have also highlighted a few cutbacks around Europe; Sara Coelho writes about the research-funding cutbacks in the Netherlands and specifically at Leiden University. And in December, John Bohannon wrote about budget cut scares in Austria.
But most countries lie somewhere in the middle, and last week the European University Association released a Snapshot of the impact of the economic crisis on European universities. The report notes that universities in Norway haven't felt any direct effects yet; universities in Denmark will receive extra funds for research that the government put aside in 2006. Budget cuts for universities are being proposed or have been enacted in Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, and Poland.
In Germany, a government stimulus package will pump money toward university infrastructure. In the U.K., funds that relied on endowments have suffered, as have universities with investments in Icelandic banks. However, no change in government funding is expected. In Greece, "Chronic under-financing of Greek universities should not be eclipsed by the current economic crisis," the report states.
Outside of universities, there are examples of fiscal belt-tightening. For example, in the Netherlands, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences has suspended several of its smaller funds because of concerns about returns on capital investments. In the U.K., the Wellcome Trust released a statement this month announcing that the charity, whose assets have dropped £2 billion compared with last year, is cutting its 2008/9 budget by £30 million, to £590 million. The organization has also warned its grant applicants that there will probably be increased competition for upcoming grant cycles due to reductions in funds elsewhere.
Our colleagues over at ScienceInsider have also highlighted a few cutbacks around Europe; Sara Coelho writes about the research-funding cutbacks in the Netherlands and specifically at Leiden University. And in December, John Bohannon wrote about budget cut scares in Austria.
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