The most important question about the 2025 financial result is, how can UM end up with a positive result of 40.1 million when the budget said negative 7 million? Another important question: what will it be spent on?
The fear in 2024 – when the budget for 2025 was drafted – that the university would suffer under the government’s cuts was very real, said Meindersma. That period, when Prime Minister Schoof’s cabinet wanted to spend less on teaching and research and stop internationalisation, was one of “great uncertainty. We didn’t know what we could depend on.”
In December 2024, Meindersma and then President Rianne Letschert told Observant that it could be very tough for UM, where international students account for 60 per cent, but they promised that the finances were such that there would no need for immediate cuts. They did think that, in the long term, it might mean deficits of between 14 million in the best case and 42 million in the worst. A 14 million-euro deficit on a budget of 600 million is manageable, but 42 million? That’s a completely different story.
Now Meindersma says: “It was never our intention to put on the handbrake. We were then and are now financially robust. Yes, the cuts could have an impact, but we are able to weather them. At the same time, I can imagine that this has preyed on people’s minds, that it’s had a psychological effect. Members of staff read about the cabinet’s devastating plans, WOinActie protested, the media reported on many other universities who were struggling.” And yet, the fear for tough times ahead was not just a mental load. Faculties and services started working on all sorts of austerity scenarios (often confidentially) and put plans on hold.
Rosy
The unexpected positive result of 40 million is mostly due to extra funding from the government (39.4 million), a large portion of which is intended to reduce the workload and for talent management (20.7 million). The latter serves as compensation for the abolished starter’s and incentive grants. Meindersma: “It wasn’t until late in 2025, in October, when, after a delay, the Senate approved the amendments to the OCW budget, that we knew we would receive those funds. We hadn’t anticipated them.”
The ‘millions for workload and talent management’ are not the only pleasant surprises, added Pascal Stevens, Director of Finance. “Faculties managed to bring in more money through contract research, grants from indirect government funding, contract research funding, and industry funding, such as NWO, foundations, companies, and European funding (ERC).”
Historically, UM has always managed to balance its budgets, with a more positive result than budgeted. “You could say that we have been cautious, prudent, careful and sensible, but not ‘too sensible’,” said Meindersma. “We always consider the long-term effects carefully. We save money every year, which is good for our reserves (currently about 200 million) and stability. At the same time, now is the time for discussing when and where to spend that money.”
Incidentally, UM ranks in the ‘middle’ (of all Dutch universities) when it comes to reserves. The ministry has both an upper and a lower limit. Stevens: “A university has to be financially robust, but ultimately, resources are meant to be used to realise its goals.”
Psychosocial workload
There is still the question of who will benefit from the extra government funding for workload and talent management. Meindersma is keen to talk to other directors and deans. The results of the research into the psychosocial workload (workload and unacceptable behaviour) are important there, he said. The first pilots at the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the ICT and Finance services have been completed. The results and points of action are currently being discussed (generally confidentially), but there are positive signals about the response – many members of staff filled in the questionnaire. The Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience has recently started investigating. “We hope to get an insight as to where precisely the workload is, at what level, where the money should go. We also realise that not every faculty is the same.”