No uni meltdown in 2012, says director

University director Jørgen Honoré had warned that 2012 would be the year when the University of Copenhagen risked toppling over the edge into a financial abyss of falling revenues, cutbacks on research and axed teaching. But this will not be the case, he now confirms to the Danish section of this media Universitetsavisen.

The University of Copenhagen had expected that revenues would drop by more than DKK 400 million until 2014 due to reductions in government grants. Now the University reckons on an increase in revenue of just over DKK 200 millioner from 2011 to 2012. 2012 will end with a small loss of DKK 22 million.

»We expected that 2012 would be a year in which our fate would be decided. But now things look better. There is a drop in (the government, ed.) subsidised revenue, but we have increases in taxameter subsidies and in project revenues. In total we can budget a minus of about 20 million,« says Jørgen Honoré.

Still admin cuts

According to the university director, the new government has shelved several of the previous government’s plans for budget cuts, and the University has been successful in attracting students and research grants. He emphasises however that the University of Copenhagen still faces a difficult situation in 2013.

For the 2012 budget it can be seen that »it will not in itself occasion large staff reductions. But local adaptations will be able to take place based on an estimate of finances locally and an estimate of revenue,« he says.

The University of Copenhagen is still in line to cut 50 administrative positions as a consequence of the previous government’s demands.

clba@adm.ku.dk

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