2023-11-16 16:08:07
Budget Committee deals with the budget for science and research
Vienna (PK) – The funding for science and research planned for 2024 was approved today by MPs Budget Committee discussed with Science Minister Martin Polaschek. From the department head’s point of view, the results of the negotiations on the budget and the federal financial framework can ensure that the operations of universities and colleges in Austria are well secured for the next few years. In the coming performance agreement period from 2025 to 2027, funding for universities is to be increased by 30%. The research infrastructure will also be further expanded.
In the 2024 federal budget (2178 d.B.) no less than €6.417 billion is planned for disbursements (2023: €5.938 billion). The budget disbursements are expected to increase by around €479.1 million compared to the 2023 federal estimate. These budget funds are primarily used to finance the 22 public universities, which are to receive €4.66 billion. This is €220 million more than in the previous budget, which is intended to take account of the increased costs in particular. Federal funding for technical colleges is expected to amount to €479 million in 2024, increasing by €96 million. The Ministry of Science is also responsible for funding studies, financing basic research institutions and important parts of research funding. The funds provided by the Ministry of Science on the basis of the Research Financing Act will increase by €164 million to €847 million. The department’s payments for participation in Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI) are expected to amount to around €130 million in 2024.
Polaschek: University operations are secured
Sibylle Hamann (Greens) addressed the long-term budget planning for the universities in her questions to the Minister of Science. Federal Minister Polaschek pointed out that the federal financial framework already provides funds of €16 billion for the performance agreement period 2025-2027, which is an increase of 30%. The minister reported that he had already received positive feedback on this. The planning security for the operation of the universities is definitely guaranteed, said the minister in the direction of SPÖ MP Katharina Kucharowits, who had criticized the fact that the new budget had not fully compensated for inflation. Polaschek emphasized that the universities will also make a certain contribution of their own by releasing reserves that were set up for this purpose.
FPÖ MP Axel Kassegger criticized what he saw as the lack of dynamism in budget development, which was largely limited to an update of the figures but did not reveal any structural reforms. There is still a lack of real financing for study places. Kassegger and his parliamentary group colleague Martin Graf asked about the universities’ reserves, which according to them are currently €900 million, as well as the technical colleges’ reserves.
The Science Minister contradicted Kassegger’s assessment and emphasized that the setting of priorities and cluster formation will be continued in the coming performance agreement period. Regarding the question of the creation of reserves, the department informed the MPs that only some of them were freely available reserves. A considerable part is earmarked for services that have already been agreed, such as billing for construction projects and research projects. Details can be found in the budget statements of the universities and colleges.
The minister assured MP Eva-Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) that the issue of a balanced gender ratio in science and research and more women in leadership positions was of great concern to him. These questions are also central to the target agreements with the universities, which would develop their own support programs so that women have the opportunity to take on leadership responsibility.
Polaschek did not share MP Kucharowits’ assessment that Austria was becoming less and less attractive as a university location for researchers. For him, the strong influx of post-doctoral students and the high number of successful applications for ERC grants, i.e. funding awards from the European Research Council for carrying out innovative research projects, prove the success of the university system in Austria. The implementation of the excellent=austria excellence initiative for top research by the FWF brings a lot of new money into the system and opens up attractive career opportunities.
Research infrastructure is being expanded
In order to implement the Federal Government’s RTI priorities, the Science Minister referred in particular to the financing and service agreements with the central institutions mentioned in the Research Financing Act (FoFinaG) and to the focal points mentioned in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (ARP), such as Quantum Austria and the Austrian Institute of Precision Medicine. The necessary expansion of the university research infrastructure will focus on increasing computing power; an additional €16 million has been budgeted for this, for a total of €37 million, Polaschek informed MPs Katharina Kucharowits (SPÖ) and Maria Theresia Niss (ÖVP).
Regarding the further construction process of the Institute of Digital Sciences Austria (IDSA) in Linz, which SPÖ MP Oberrauner inquired about, Polaschek announced that €20 million would be available for this from the regular budget for the coming year.
With the implementation of the “Spin-off Fellowships” funding program until 2026, the aim is to close the gap in knowledge transfer, Polaschek told MP Niss. Regarding clinical research, Gertraud Salzmann (ÖVP) learned that a funding program for clinical research groups would close a previously existing funding gap that often arose between risky basic research and the advanced research stage, which is also interesting for companies.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a cross-sectional matter and it is also a question of definition as to what counts as AI, Polaschek told MPs Helmut Brandstätter (NEOS), Katharina Kucharowits (SPÖ) and Süleyman Zorba (Greens). It is therefore not easy to precisely quantify the budget resources available for AI research. There is no separate funding pot for AI research, but the FWF science fund supports a large number of projects in this area.
Regarding the further implementation of the new Council for Research, Science, Innovation and Technology Development (FWIT), NEOS MP Martina Künsberg Sarre learned that the supervisory board had already started its activities and that the nomination of the council members by the department would only take place once the chairmanship had been determined . The Ministry of Science will provide the Council with just over €1 million.
In connection with the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act, which NEOS MP Brandstätter addressed, Polaschek assumes that no additional position in the Ministry of Science will be necessary for this.
Regarding the role of science and research, which was addressed by MPs Oberrauner (SPÖ), Hamann (Greens) and Graf (FPÖ), among others, Polaschek emphasized that, in his view, scientists are now more than ever required to make public statements to take a stand on social issues. An open and respectful discourse must be maintained at universities. Challenges include widespread scientific skepticism and the fight against extremism and anti-Semitism. There is a ten-point program to address scientific skepticism in Austria. Meanwhile, a study is available, the findings of which will be used to build further measures. For the documentation archive of the Austrian resistance, €650,000 was budgeted for research on anti-Semitism and right-wing extremism, while the Austrian Academy received €500,000 for research into historical anti-Semitism.
Universities of applied sciences receive additional funding
The development of technical colleges and in particular the expansion of university places were the subject of questions from MPs Oberrauner (SPÖ) and Kassegger (FPÖ). Polaschek pointed out that 250 new study places are to be advertised on a broad basis in coordination with the University of Applied Sciences Conference. Not only MINT subjects, but also interdisciplinary and completely new courses of study should be promoted. The universities of applied sciences throughout Austria will be given the opportunity to submit proposals as part of a call for proposals. The final allocation will be made after a selection process. There will also be additional funds for the universities of applied sciences through an anniversary package, which should be available as early as January 1, 2024 and not in October, as originally planned.
Regarding research at universities of applied sciences, which was discussed by Rudolf Taschner and Martin Kaufmann (both ÖVP), the Science Minister made it clear that this was not financed by the federal government, but by the maintainers. The federal government also participates in research through cooperation between universities and technical colleges in doctoral programs. Polaschek agreed with Taschner that it was right that the awarding of doctorates should be reserved for universities. The joint programs are a good solution in this regard.
Student funding will be increased
Further questions from NEOS MP Brandstätter, ÖVP MP Nico Marchetti and SPÖ representatives Muna Duzda, Katharina Kucharowits and Eva-Maria Holzleitner related to the social dimension of studying and support for students.
Polaschek referred Brandstätter to the current inflation adjustment of student aid, and he also specified to Marchetti that €328 million was earmarked for student funding in the 2024 budget. In response to Duzda’s comment that education in Austria still depends heavily on family background, Polaschek pointed to the efforts of universities and colleges to motivate young people who do not come from academic households to study. Polaschek once again rejected federal funding for the construction and maintenance of student dormitories, which Duzda and Kucharowits mentioned. Holzleitner learned that the tuition fee exemption for students from Ukraine will continue to apply. According to the Science Minister, the scholarship program for this group will also be continued; there are currently no plans to extend this to students from other countries.
The minister informed MP Sibylle Hamann (Greens) that the psychological counseling centers for students had a budget of €1 million. The workforce currently amounts to 80 people.
Regarding the financing of the Austrian Students’ Union, FPÖ MP Martin Graf learned that the additional €1.8 million was primarily intended to finance social menus, social funds, rental costs and advisory services.
Regarding the forecast of the development of student numbers for the next few years, the Minister told MP Künsberg Sarre (NEOS) that current figures will be available at the end of 2023. In principle, only a small increase in the number of first-year students is expected by 2040.
Development of the federal financial framework until 2027
The federal financial framework for 2024 to 2027 was also negotiated (2179 and At 2179 dB). According to this, payments for science and research will increase by around €900 million annually between 2025 and 2027. According to the Parliamentary Budget Service, the share of the budget breakdown for science and research in the federal budget will increase from 4.8% in 2022 to 5.6% in 2027. The main impact here is the financing of universities in the new performance agreement period 2025-2027. An additional €893 million is earmarked for each of these three years. In 2024, the federal financial framework also includes the BFG authorizations for salary increases at medical universities (€80 million) and for the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) in fulfillment of the existing 15a agreement (€70 million). A total of €260.7 million has been earmarked for the further expansion of the university sector in the new financial framework. The valorization of student funding will result in an increase in funds of €97.1 million, while the implementation of the RTI pact will result in additional research funds amounting to €95.8 million. (Continuation of the Budget Committee) sox
NOTES: The Parliamentary Budget Service offers economic analyzes of budget policy and templates from the Federal Ministry of Finance.
This provides details on the 2024 budget, the changes to previous years and the development of ongoing budget implementation interactive visualization tool of the budget service. There you will receive a quick and transparent overview of relevant budget data.
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