Anger over proposed cuts to HE, research, education aid

Norwegian academics, students and stakeholders are angered by the government’s proposed cuts to the country’s higher education, research and international developmental assistance budgets for 2025 – and the national association of researchers has announced its intention to protest the cuts outside parliament.

Under a new higher education funding system – conceived in 2023 and expected to come into force in 2025 – universities and university colleges are expected to receive NOK600 million less than last year (when adjusted for inflation) in their 2025 budget allocation of NOK46.4 billion (US$4.4 billion).

The proposed Research and development portion of the budget will see a real decrease of 3.5%, partly due to lower licensing requirements for Norway’s quota of the EU framework programme for R&D.

Including state funds, the R&D licences amount to approximately NOK52.2 billion. R&D as a share of GDP is estimated at 0.89% excluding tax deductions, and 0.96% including deductions, according to ministry of education and research figures.

Impact on students

Among the most vocal critics of the university cutbacks are students. Head of the National Union of Students in Norway Kaja Ingdal Hovdenak said it means a direct knock to the student funding system which carries the implication that students will have to work to earn money alongside their studies.

“In addition, the budget is eroding the principle of free higher education because the government now is introducing a fee for those who want to re-sit their exams,” she said.

“We students once more have to direct our hopes to the Socialist Left party, which is the budget partner of the government, hoping that they will sort out the budgetary chaos of the government,” Hovdenak said.

President of the Association of Norwegian Students Abroad (ANSA) Anna Handal Hellesnes, said the association is disappointed over the government ignoring its members’ needs.

“Students are strongly advised to go abroad through the Mobility Paper, a parliamentary white paper on international student mobility recommending [that] 50% of Norwegian students take part in their studies abroad.

“The government is seeing the value of higher education abroad but is abstaining from taking the measures needed. This is not only hitting the students, but in the long run also making Norway weaker in the meeting with the global challenges,” Hellesnes said.

Protest by researchers

In addition to their impacts on students, cuts to the research budget are also a prime concern.

Chair of the board of the Norwegian research council Gunnar Bovim said while the R&D cut is partly due to a lower fee for participating in Horizon Europe, it was "not the ambitious research budget Norway is in need of".

“We have to say stop!” Guro Lind, president of the Norwegian Association of Researchers, said. “Yes, I am angry,” she said.

“This sector has been too lenient in accepting the message from the government that ‘we have to get back to the 2019-level’ [when the budget was expanded due to after-effects of COVID] and ‘cuts are the new normal’. Now we have to say stop. We have to cry out the consequences for society,” Lind said in a statement.

The first opportunity to do so will be on 22 October outside of the front of the parliamentary building.

“I hope that everyone will come and let their voice be heard,” said Lind. “Norway is in dire need of a stronger knowledge sector than this government is willing to invest in,” she added.

To University World News Lind described the government’s actions as “short-sighted and irresponsible”, particularly given the amount of revenue the country generates through its oil reserves.

“The government is using the largest amount of oil-money ever but does not manage to invest in measures that might secure our income after the oil age is over.

“This is short-sighted and irresponsible. Norway should do as the EU is doing and our neighbouring countries Sweden and Finland are doing: that is, investing more in research, to ensure the building up of Norwegian competitive capacity,” she said.

Decentralisation

The Federation of Norwegian Professional Associations (Akademikerne) said in a press release: “It looks like the minister has resigned”, quoting the president in Akademikerne Lise Lyngsnes Randeberg on the inability of Minister of Research and Higher Education Oddmund Hoel to influence the government’s decision-making.

“It looks like Hoel has given in in the fight for budgetary resources within the government. This is a pity not only for research, because over time it is eroding the ability of Norway to develop welfare services, meet the climate challenges and develop new workplaces,” Randerberg said.

However, Hoel has defended the decentralisation focus of the government, arguing that the Labour-Center Party government is strengthening multi-campus higher education institutions in districts with a NOK120 million allocation which comes in addition to NOK200 million to these institutions in the 2024 budget.

“We are continuing to deliver on one of the most important priorities for the government: knowledge and competence all over the country. This is absolutely necessary to bring Norway forward,” Hoel said.

Development assistance

The Norwegian Students’ and Academics’ International Assistance Fund (SAIH), an international solidarity organisation has also objected to the budget, calling it a betrayal.

“In the proposal for the governmental budget for 2025 educational support for developmental assistance is cut by NOK150 million (US$14 million). This government has halved the support for education globally since it took power.

“In uncertain times education is decisive for stability and development. Now the warning lights should start to be lit at full strength. At a time when democracies and human rights are under pressure, Norway should not solve this by cutting the support for those contributing to finding solutions to the problems we are facing. This is a betrayal,” said SAIH president Selma Bratberg.

Vice-rector for education at the University of Oslo, Professor Bjørn Stensaker, told University World News the dramatic cuts to to research and innovation come on top of previous cuts in the research area which obviously raise concerns for the quality of basic research and about the attractiveness of higher education for the next generation of researchers.

“The government is delivering on what they have stated previously – so-called decentralised education is being prioritised. Our main concern is that the focus on quality at the moment is totally absent from the political agenda.

“We do know that small, scattered educational offers have several quality challenges. This seems to be of no concern for the government,” said Stensaker.

Changed priorities

Professor Emeritus Ivar Bleiklie from the University of Bergen, an expert on higher education governance who has studied Norwegian higher education and research policies from a comparative perspective, told University World News the trend towards lower funding for higher education and research has been exacerbated by two events that have coincided since 2022.

“First, the current government coalition – of the Social Democratic and the former agrarian ‘Center Party’ – have actively promoted a policy that emphasises decentralised education to accommodate national needs for professionals (such as teachers, nurses, social workers, engineers).

“This has diverted resources away from research and internationalisation, and has generally affected the major research universities negatively.

“Second, against the backdrop of war in Europe, rising international tensions and the sharp rise in military expenditures, higher education and research generally have lost out against what are considered more pressing needs by the government. Thus higher education and research are, unfortunately, not understood as decisive areas for national strategic long-term investment,” he said.