Utrecht University to cut up to 100 jobs after funding slashed

Utrecht University has announced it is scrapping up to 100 full-time administrative jobs in response to the Dutch government’s planned cuts to higher education funding.

The university said it needed to save up to €80 million by 2029 after the education ministry cut the total budget by some €500 million a year.

Staff in departments such as communication, finance and human resources have been earmarked for the cuts.

More than 100 people are likely to be laid off because many administrative staff work part-time. The university also said compulsory redundancies may be necessary.

Anton Pijpers, chair of the university’s executive board, said the decision was tough but necessary to secure the university’s future.

“We have spend the last few months carefully looking for alternatives, but the financial situation has left us with no choice,” he said.

“Given current political developments in the Netherlands we expect that financial measures at the university’s administrative departments will continue to be necessary.”

The university has already taken other steps to reduce costs, such as reducing opening hours for campus buildings, holding more meetings online and abolishing language courses including French, German, Italian, Arabic and Celtic studies.

Two other universities, Tilburg and Radboud University in Nijmegen, have taken legal action to challenge the government’ higher education cuts.

The universities’ lobby organisation UNL said the decision breached an agreement between the education minister, Robbert Dijkgraaf, and the sector in 2022 to invest €300 million a year in scientific research.

UNL chairman Caspar van den Berg told Nieuwsuur in April: “We want an independent ruling from the courts on the legal worth of an administrative agreement.”