Universities say planned government funding hike not enough

Swiss universities expect an increase in the number of students over the next few years. Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Swiss universities say the government’s planned 2% annual increase in education and research funding for 2025-2028 will probably be cancelled out by an expected rise in prices.

“There is a risk that the universities will have to live with stagnation or even a reduction in their real resources during this period,” Luciana Vaccaro, president of the umbrella organisation Swissuniversities, said in an interview with Le TempsExternal link newspaper published on Saturday.

She points out that Swiss universities expect an increase in the number of students over the next few years. “The funding proposed by the Federal Council will inevitably jeopardise the quality of teaching and research,” Vaccaro told Le Temps.

The government has earmarked a budget of CHF29.7 billion ($32.6 billion) for education, research and innovation for the period 2025-2028, and on Friday launched a consultation process on its proposals. The deadline for comments from concerned stakeholders is September 24. Its plan will then be submitted to parliament.

In a press releaseExternal link on Friday, the government said its plan aims to ensure that “Switzerland retains its leadership position in education, research and innovation”.

The government says that in the 2025-2028 period, it will “address major challenges” in the sector. “This includes providing reliable support to the cantons for VET (vocational education and training), professional education and higher education in order to provide the necessary skilled workers on the labour market,” says the press release. “The ETH Domain (federal institutes of technology) will also be provided with a solid increase of its funding.” An additional priority is continuing education and training, “which is important to enable lifelong learning”.