Hoger onderwijs in opstand

Belgian universities and colleges have been struggling for years with a structural shortage of funding, both from the communities and the federal government, which has undermined the quality of education and research¹. The reforms and cutbacks currently being planned by the federal government and the Flemish and French community governments will have disastrous consequences. Not only will this further negatively impact the quality of education and research, but it will also lead to a significant reduction in staff numbers.

Higher education stands for excellence and innovation in research and education. Critical thinking and fundamental scientific research are indispensable. They form the foundation of our knowledge economy. Without fundamental and applied research, high-quality education is not possible. Innovative and excellent research and education can only be guaranteed when university staff are given the time, resources, and working conditions they need and that students deserve.

The current cuts are undermining students’ educational opportunities, undermining the status of university staff (both academic, administrative, and technical staff), and jeopardising the basic missions of universities and colleges.

In defence of higher education

One of the core tasks of our universities and colleges is to offer high-quality, inclusive, and accessible education. For years, the funding system has led to competition between institutions and, at the same time, to structural underfunding. Despite the Flemish Financing Decree of 2008, funding per student fell from over €10,100 per year to €8,100 per year. If that funding had remained the same, higher education in Flanders would receive an additional €657 million in operating funds each year.

On top of that, in October 2025, the Flemish government decided to cut support for the most vulnerable and international students. The Brussels funds (additional financial support granted by Flanders to support Dutch-language higher education in Brussels) are being scrapped, the conditions for scholarships are being tightened, and non-EEA students are becoming much more expensive for universities. These savings threaten to jeopardise the democratisation of higher education.

We demand that the conditions for high-quality education for all be guaranteed by:

• The allocation of the basic funding for higher education provided for in the decree (2008 Financing Decree);
• No increase in the current registration fees to compensate for the savings;
• No cutbacks on scholarships 
• Protection of the democratisation of higher education.

In defence of research

Universities have a duty to conduct internationally leading research in an ethically responsible manner, and independently of economic or political pressure. Sufficient resources are needed to guarantee this independence. However, both the regions and the federal government are cutting budgets for fundamental and applied research so drastically that thorough, socially relevant, and innovative research is under severe pressure.

The exemption from paying income tax on wages for researchers represents approximately 7% of universities’ structural income. These resources are essential for financing personnel and materials within research projects. The elimination of these funds, either in their entirety or for researchers in the humanities and social sciences (such as economics, psychology, language research, etc.), as is currently on the table in the federal budget negotiations, would mean a drastic reduction in internal research resources, resulting in a huge limitation of fundamental research. In addition, universities often collaborate with other institutions that are also threatened by the planned reforms (such as the KBR, KVAB, the State Archives, the KMI, the Royal Museums, IOB, IES, FNRS, FWO, etc.).

We demand that the resources enabling universities to fulfil their research tasks be maintained, and in particular:

• Maintenance of the exemption from withholding tax for researchers;
• Maintenance of at least the current level of funding for research institutions at both federal and community levels.

Pension reform

The planned pension reform will have a fundamental impact on university staff. The strict rules on working conditions and the pension penalty will have a significant impact on staff members who work in precarious conditions at the start of their careers. This applies to all categories of staff, and in particular to young researchers, who, in their search for permanent appointments or long-term employment contracts, work as scholarship students, part-time employees, or without adequate social protection. The current reform makes it particularly difficult for them to achieve a full career.

For appointed staff at public and private universities, the reform of the civil service pension has a huge impact. Depending on their status and career, these colleagues face a loss of 10 to 40% of their pension. This undermines the status of appointed staff and represents a fundamental breach of the social contract between the government and employees. Attracting and retaining the best scientists and administrative staff will become challenging, which will also be at the expense of the high-quality education that is the foundation of our knowledge economy. Our students, our researchers, and all higher education staff in Belgium deserve better.

We demand an adjustment to the pension reform:

• Scrapping of all changes to the pension calculation;
• Cessation of the transfer of pension costs from the federal government to other entities (such as the regions or the universities themselves);
• Retention of the civil service pension, fully financed through the first pillar;
• Scrapping of the pension penalty.