Use of resources from the National Programme for Education and Research, realisation and future outlook

The Bestuursakkoord Nationaal Programma Onderwijs (NPO administrative agreement about education) and the Bestuursakkoord NPO onderzoek Steunprogramma voor herstel en perspectief onderzoeker (NPO administrative agreement about the research support programme for recovery and perspective of researchers) were published and discussed in the Lower House on 21 May 2021. On 5 July, the University Joint Assembly (UGV) approved the plan for spending the NPO education and research resources. A lot of hard work went into developing a solid plan that prioritised student well-being. This involved collaboration across the university with various disciplines and with all faculties and institutes. At the request of the UGV, the method of monitoring progress towards the goals was added to the plans. The progress achieved each year will be included in the annual report.

€11.5 million has been allocated to Radboud University from the NPO administrative agreements about education and research. The NPO education resources may be spent in the years 2021–2023. The NPO research resources may be spent in the years 2021–2024.

Student Affairs oversees the spending of the temporary NPO education resources, and details about spending targets are discussed with the faculties. The Student Guidance 2023 project team and the Student Welfare Coordinator will be actively involved in the development and implementation of initiatives. They will also be responsible for explaining how the faculties spent their direct funds in the annual faculty report. The remaining budget will be managed by Academic Affairs, which will also document this in the annual report.

The Corporate Controller oversees the spending of the temporary NPO research resources. In early 2021, the faculties and institutes indicated how many temporary contracts of researchers they expected to have to extend due to pandemic-related delays. Based on the forecasts, the necessary resources were allocated to the faculties and institutes. Mid-term and end of year evaluations were made to assess whether the funds required to extend temporary contracts were in line with the forecasts, and a complete overview was drawn up of the actual contract extensions and the funds required for them.

In addition to the faculties and institutes, the University Student Council (USC) was involved in implementing the plans related to student well-being. The USC was also kept informed via informal meetings between the USC praesidium and Student Affairs about potential changes and implementing the plans. The plans and their progress were also discussed in the periodic meetings with the Municipality of Nijmegen and HAN University of Applied Sciences. Opportunities for collaboration between various stakeholders were also considered at those meetings.

To determine whether the measures were effective, extra questions were added to several surveys and existing indicators were used. For example, first- and second-year students were asked whether they were assigned a tutor or a buddy and to what extent this helped them settle into university life. Students were also asked whether they participated in the pre-university programme ‘Start your study with skills’ and, if so, how it helped prepare them for university. The faculties were asked to reflect on the internship issues in the annual report and explain how many students were affected by these problems and for how many suitable solutions were found. Finally, as always, the university monitored how the students feel about student guidance as part of the National Student Survey.

As described earlier, it was decided to use the NPO education resources to focus on student well-being. The resources are also being used to address specific issues, such as delays in internships for teacher training and medical study programmes. Above you can see how the resources were spent in 2021 and how they are expected to be spent in the coming years. The planned costs correspond to the original plan approved by the participational bodies. These planned costs correspond to the allocated NPO education resources. The estimates for 2022 and 2023 have been adjusted based on the actual figures for 2021.

To date, no significant changes have been made to the content of the plans submitted. However, additional resources have been allocated to the initiatives in the plan and time shifts have taken place. Many initiatives that are part of the plans were initiated in 2021, but despite the many efforts, they were delayed in some places. For example, it took slightly longer than expected to recruit additional staff for the flex pool of student advisors, and some faculty initiatives got underway somewhat later. Because of this, resources will be shifted from 2021 to 2022 and 2023. This is not expected to affect the total expenditure of funds.

The resources in this category are intended for minimising and preventing study delays. It is crucial that universities provide students with the right support and guidance before and during the study programme in order to maximise academic success. Radboud University has decided to use the available resources in this category to provide students (particularly first-year and second-year students) with guidance and supervision. In addition to the available NPO resources, some faculties are using funds for small-scale initiatives and their own resources to promote the smooth intake and advancement of students, especially by providing extra student tutors for first- and second-year students. No additional investments were made in providing study information or a study compatibility check due to a lack of time in 2021, and information is expected to be provided as usual in 2022.

Student surveys during the pandemic revealed that the well-being of large groups of students plummeted this past year. Loneliness, lack of motivation, stress and depression were common symptoms arising from a lack of in-person education and contact with fellow students and lecturers. The university therefore invested heavily in strengthening social connections with the study programmes and – partly because of this – improving the well-being of all students, with a special focus on vulnerable groups. The university also joined the ongoing project Student Guidance 2023. For example, in 2021 the university:

In 2022 and 2023 (in collaboration with the faculties):

In 2020, the internships in Nijmegen were delayed by five months due to pandemic-related measures. The limited number of internship positions and the internship structure make it difficult to overcome this delay. To minimise study delays in the Dentistry and Medicine programmes, the Faculty of Medical Sciences advanced the extramural internship before the start of the medical internships and added a longitudinal internship (a longer stay in one healthcare institution). Given the persistence of the pandemic into 2021, this was not (yet) a suitable time to create additional training capacity in healthcare (either in or outside hospitals). Training capacity will be expanded as soon as there is space for it. This is expected to materialise in the course of 2022 and 2023.

A specific budget has been reserved for teacher training study programmes to minimise study delays and reduce dropouts because of internship shortages. The Radboud Teachers Academy (RDA), Pedagogical Sciences Primary Education (PWPO) and the two-year teacher training Master’s programme (EduMA2) want to use the resources to help students minimise study delays and improve student guidance. There has been very little in-person contact between students and lecturers this past year. We plan to make up for this in the years to come by intensifying contact between lecturers/educators and students and preventing unnecessary study delays and dropouts. This should improve the didactic situation and have a positive effect on students’ well-being.

Concrete measures that will be taken include the appointment of extra trainers/lecturers who will support students in the study programme if delays occur by, for example, giving catch-up courses, intensifying mentoring and/or providing extra guidance with the thesis. The extra capacity will also be used to provide extra guidance to students during their (extended) internships/practical learning. In addition, a unifying event will be organised for all Radboud University students following a teacher training study programme. The preparations for these activities were made in 2021, and they will mainly take place in 2022 and 2023.

The Faculty of Medical Sciences was not included in the table above, given that Radboud university medical center receives its own NPO research resources, which it includes in its own budget and annual report.

We faced a global pandemic in 2020. Researchers experienced delays because libraries and archives had to close, source materials were no longer accessible, and experiments with test subjects could not be carried out. Working from home and remote teaching also caused delays for researchers. Radboud University took several measures to support researchers with a temporary contract where possible. These included extending temporary research contracts with the NPO research resources when the effects of the pandemic caused delays. This was done in 2020 and 2021 and will continue in 2022, 2023 and 2024 if necessary.

The table above shows that all contract extensions could be financed in 2021 by relabelling the NWO resources, the remaining resources available for contract extension in 2020 (CLA agreement 0.45% scheme) and the resources that Radboud University has drawn from its own reserves to extend temporary contracts. The NPO research resources will be used to extend temporary contracts in 2022, 2023 and 2024. With these resources, it is expected that all contracts can be extended in 2022 and 2023, as well as most contracts set to expire in 2024. It should be noted that the forecasts for resources required in 2022, 2023 and 2024 were based on estimates made by the faculties and institutes with the information available. Researchers whose contracts end in 2023 or 2024 may be able to (partially) make up their delay in the coming period by changing the order of their research or choosing a different research design, such as online testing. This will affect the required resources. At the same time, the delay may increase if a new lockdown occurs. The university will keep a close eye on these developments.