The UG has to cut 20 million euros over the next four years to cope with the effects of the high energy prices. Four committees must find 5 million each to slash from the budget.
The energy prices have caused a hefty budget deficit at the UG. Although the government contribution will increase, it will not be enough to compensate for the increase in the costs of gas and electricity. The 20 million must therefore be found elsewhere.
To this end, the UG has set up four committees consisting of end users, portfolio managers, and people from the finance department. There will also be room for experts. Each committee will try to come up with plans to save at least 5 million.
Sustainability
The first committee will deal with reducing energy consumption. The UG wants to be more sustainable and reduce its gas and electricity use by at least 30 percent.
The UG’s real estate is also an issue. Especially in the city centre, the university has many buildings that are small, inefficient, and not very sustainable. Making these more energy efficient costs a lot of money. There may be gains to be made there too.
ICT
A third committee will deal with ICT, which involves high energy costs, in addition to expensive licences and the cost of staff. Finally, the fourth committee will deal with education and research.
The point, stresses rector magnificus Cisca Wijmenga, is to ‘think ambitiously’. ‘These committee should be thinking out of the box and come up with lots of plans. The more we have to choose from, the better.’