2024 EUA Funding Forum: Exploring sustainable financing for European universities

The EUA Funding Forum, organised by the association and hosted by the University of Helsinki on 03 and 04/11/2024, gathered higher education leaders to discuss the topic “Sense & sustainability: future paths for European university finances”.

Josep M. Garrell, President of EUA, highlighted the challenge of balancing expanding societal demands and limited resources, stressing, "if we need to do more things than ever before, how do we prioritise?" For him, effective leadership, strategy, and sufficient funding are crucial to navigating these challenges.

The results of a survey titled “The state & future of university finances in Europe” presented by Enora Bennetot Pruvot, Deputy Director of Governance, Funding and Public Policy at the EUA, revealed that the stability of public funding remains a concern for universities in a context of competing economic priorities.

Sari Lindblom, rector of the University of Helsinki, indicated that "the significance of research and education in Europe remains high, but it is shaped by a complex interplay of factors, such as political decisions, economic…