Left-wing faction warns of “cuts amounting to millions”

The dual budget presented by the Senate for 2024 and 2025 plans to provide more money than is available: Berlin is expected to save about $1.4 billion annually. Because of this large amount of money already allocated in the budget but not available – so-called flat-rate reduced spending – science must prepare for “cuts in the millions”, as the Left Party’s science policy spokesman in Berlin, Tobias, criticized. Schulz, in a press release.

Berlin’s public universities will receive a higher annual increase in state subsidies until 2028 than before: 5%, instead of the previous 3.5%, per year. The administration has agreed this with Science Senator Ena Chibura (SPD) in the university contracts that have now been decided.

The administration confirms spending less than nine million

The leftist faction calculates in its statement that universities and students should be prepared for cuts elsewhere. If we link the total of 1.4 billion planned, but not guaranteed, funding for Berlin to a 6% share of science spending in the budget, a financial gap of 54 million euros can be expected for the ministry. When asked, the Scientific Department did not want to comment on this matter in advance because the bill would only be “resolved in the current budget.”

In the science budget itself, spending is also scheduled to be reduced, which could lead to cuts, according to the newspaper Lift: It is also possible to lose five million euros here annually. When asked by the Tagesspiegel newspaper, the Senate administration estimated the fixed reduction in spending for the entire Science, Health and Welfare Department at nine million euros.

The left-wing faction asserts that construction investments also include items in the Senate budget that could be reversed as part of necessary austerity measures. Schultz estimates that university construction projects could lead to “savings in the range of one million dollars annually,” given the scientific portion of the investment plan.