Minister heard about cuts in funding for centers

Parliament unanimously approved this Tuesday the hearing requested by the Socialist Party (PS) of the Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, regarding funding cuts to research centers rated "Very Good." The hearing was unanimously approved by the Education and Science Committee, a PS source told Lusa.

According to the request presented by the socialist bench, “the current financing proposal for the 2025-2029 cycle translates into a drastic reduction in the support granted to units classified as 'Very Good'”, which “see their ability to maintain minimum levels of operation compromised, to guarantee stability to their teams, to ensure advanced training or to renew equipment”.

In May, in an open letter to the minister, researchers warned of "cuts in core funding" for centers rated "Very Good," which could lead to layoffs and increased job insecurity.

According to the figures presented in the letter, the 117 research centers rated "Very Good," and where "6,434 researchers work," will see a 69% cut compared to the base amount allocated between 2020 and 2024, meaning that scientists who previously received the equivalent of €3,750 per year will now receive €1,156.58 per year.

According to the PS, “in real terms this drop exceeds 74% taking into account accumulated inflation”.

In response to the open letter in May, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation claimed in a note that the evaluation model for research centers that determined the funds to be allocated until 2029 resulted from criteria from the previous Socialist Party Government, having increased overall funding by 22%.

According to the Ministry, the Government “chose to reward merit and excellent research , allocating more funding to research units evaluated with the highest rating”, taking into account the rules defined by the previous Executive, namely not defining quotas for the “Excellent” classification (maximum score).