On the afternoon of Wednesday 20 December, the Board of Trustees of the Universitat de València approved the budget of the UV for 2024.

This budget, elaborated by the University management based on the proposal of each of the university structures, was presented to the Governing Council by the Executive Council (composed by the principal, the general secretary, the general manager, the vice-principal, and the delegate for students). It was approved last Tuesday 19 December for the consideration of the Board of Trustees, which is the body that, in accordance with current regulations, has the competencies to approve it.
 

A budget in a restrictive context, without a Multi-Annual Financing Plan (PPF)

For yet another year, this year's budget was elaborated in a context of the absence of the Multi-Annual Financing Plan (PFF) that the previous government of the Valencian Government had repeatedly committed to approve since 2015.

Despite the negotiation process between universities and the agreement of practically the entire Valencian Public University System, the previous government of the Valencian Government did not approve a new funding model for Valencian public universities, although it recognised the underfunding situation that the Universitat de València has historically suffered.

However, and as the general manager of the UV, Juan Vicente Climent, recalled “we did achieve an important advance: to increase the weight of the UV in the distribution of the resources of the Government among all the universities. An increase that shows us the way to budget sufficiency and that has been possible thanks to the leadership of our principal”.

The Principal of the Universitat de València, Mª Vicenta Mestre, has been a fierce defender of the need for financial sustainability of the Valencian Public University System.

In this way, she has repeatedly demanded the compliance of the commitment of the previous president of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig, to have a Multi-Annual Financing Plan for Valencian public universities. Ultimately, it was not fulfilled.

The situation has improved for the Universitat de València, with a better distribution of resources. However, it is still insufficient to meet the needs of the UV. This situation is the starting point for the negotiations with the current Government for the Multi-Annual Financing Plan (PPF).

480 million euros budget, up 3.7%

The budget approved by the Board of Trustees, chaired by Vicent Soler, amounts to 480 million euros, which represents an increase of 3.7% over the previous year.

77% of income comes from subsidies (ordinary, which accounts for 61% of income, and other finalist subsidies) from the Valencian Government, which increased by 3.1%.

In this sense, a specific line of funding has been incorporated into the ordinary transfer of the Government for the improvement of the salaries of the PDI (teaching and research staff), derived from the collective bargaining agreement for these teaching and researcher staff.

Among the transfers of the Valencian Government, there are the compensation of fees and of the costs of application of the State and Autonomous Community Regulations (CNEA), as well as a specific line of transition towards a new Multi-Annual Financing Plan.

The consolidation of these sources of income is key to the financial sustainability of the Universitat de València.

The main source of expenditure is chapter 1, personnel, which accounts for 65% of total expenditure, followed by chapter 2, operating, which accounts for 18% of total expenditure.

An ordinary subsidy insufficient to cover operating expenses

University staff costs, amounting to 312 million euros, grew by 5.8% compared to the previous year, without including the salary increase for civil servants and employees for 2024, which was neither approved nor specifically financed in the initial budget of the Government.

The increase in expenditure in the personnel chapter is due to the consolidation of the increase in remuneration expected by the end of the financial year 2023, as well as the promotion and creation of posts respecting the limitations imposed by the replacement rate, the recognition of new three-year periods, five-year periods, six-year periods, professional career brackets, and collective bargaining agreements for employees.

Personnel expenditure as a whole accounts for 65% of total expenditure.

Regular operating expenses (chapter 2) increase by 4.1% as a result of the increase in the price of overheads (cleaning, safety, maintenance and IT support).

In total, nearly 87 million euros account for 18% of total expenditure.

If we consider the aggregate of transfers from the Valencian Government, amounting to 369.5 million euros, this income does not cover the UV's personnel (chapter 1) and ordinary operating expenses (chapter 2), which are close to 397 million euros.