The University of Montpellier’s wishes are tinged with bitterness: “We are starting 2025 with €20.5 million in measures not compensated by the State”

Philippe Augé a présenté ses vœux pour 2025 devant plusieurs centaines de personnes au Gymnase Veyrassi. MIDI LIBRE – VM

En présence des représentants des principaux partenaires académiques et institutionnels de l’université de Montpellier, directeurs des composantes, des unités de recherche, des collectivités locales et territoriales, Philippe Augé a présenté des vœux empreints de prudence et a fait part de ses inquiétudes.

In the presence of representatives of the main academic and institutional partners of the University of Montpellier, directors of the components, research units, local and regional authorities, Philippe Augé presented wishes marked by prudence and hope!

Start of the Hcéres evaluation campaign

2024 has enabled the deployment of actions, new successes for the university, new projects, and the launch of certain projects, such as the Sciences-B village, the construction of the Saint-Priest restaurant, the renovation of the Pharmacie building E, the opening operation, which is now funded, of the south gate of the Jardin des Plantes, etc.

2025 will mark the launch of the evaluation campaign of the High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (Hcéres), responsible for the evaluation of higher education and public research, through training, research and the establishment at the heart of its processes. “We will have to establish our multi-year strategy, funding is increasingly difficult to obtain, we will have to work on new plans, any request will have to be largely justified”.

In a climate of financial rigor

The president's humor and verve did not prevent this slight chill from falling on the audience gathered on the Veyrassi gymnasium plateau, each one realizing, at the announcement of the budgetary restrictions, that such a generous lunch buffet would not be reproduced any time soon. “In 2025, it will be the tenth anniversary of the university, it will be more intellectual than festive,” the president says ironically. No “repeated cocktails” in a climate of financial austerity that is only increasing.

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Philippe Augé has widely expressed his concerns about the increase in financial constraints weighing on higher education institutions.

Measures not compensated by the State

Missions such as commitment to ecological transition, development of support for professional integration, establishment in the territories, actions in favor of disability, student health, fight against sexual and sexist violence represent a cost that has never been fully compensated by the State.

“The delta is starting to widen, since in 2024, it was already that, and it will therefore be the same in 2025, it is nearly €10 million of uncompensated measures, €7 million under the famous so-called Guérini measures, namely the increase in the index point, and then another €3 million under other human resources expenditure. Added to this is the increase in contributions to the Special Allocation Account (CAS) intended for the civil servants' pension scheme, “which will represent a new additional cost of €5 million. We are therefore already at €15 million uncompensated under the 2025 budget. “And then there will continue to be, as for any operator, the additional energy cost of €2 million. We are starting the year with €17 million of uncompensated measures, which could be mitigated if our resources were guaranteed. However, we do not yet have our budget, but noises are starting to arrive and our subsidy for public service charges would be reduced by around 1%.”

This may seem “not much”, “but it is €3.5 million that will take us to €20.5. And we also hear hot and cold blowing on the apprenticeship revenues.”

A working capital that results from sound management

The relatively substantial working capital, up to 40 days, is not “a cushion”, he says, “it results from sound management and own resources that are used to cover urgent expenses, to invest in educational innovation or equipment. In this gymnasium, the climbing wall and safety infrastructure represented €760,000.”

If we come to hinder the investment capacity, the ambitious dynamic, the consequences will be rapid on “the role of social elevator that Universities are, on the action of economic development in the territories, the attractiveness of higher education and research in France”.

Stop controls and investigations

The president concludes by wishing “health, a little happiness, successes, a few elements that make daily life acceptable and that allow us to plan ahead”.

And the easing of controls! “We are all suffering from incessant monitoring with no less than nine investigations and various checks this year from which we never get any feedback. We have the legitimacy of the election. And it is true that circulars always written by people who are standardized, who do not know the field, after a while, it is quite difficult to pass.”

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