Throughout the last two legislatures, a constant increase has been consolidated, which has meant a growth of 78%.

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The call for applications for the 2022-2023 return of enrolments opens today, which will benefit more than 9,000 students.

The budgetary contribution for the year 2023 to the University of the Balearic Islands planned by the Conselleria de Fons Europeus, Universitat i Cultura to the draft Budget Bill increases by 15.9 million euros (18.4%) the amount budgeted in 2022, reaching the historic figure of 102.4 million euros.

The president of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol, presented this proposal, which will now have to be approved by the Parliament, to the university community, accompanied by the rector of the UIB, Jaume Carot, the manager of the University, Consolación Hernández, and the councillor for European Funds, University and Culture, Miquel Company.

This is an increase, both in terms of direct transfers and specific items linked to projects, which consolidates a sustained growth rate since 2015 of the Government’s funding to the UIB, rising from 57.3 million euros eight years ago to 102.4 currently, an increase of 78%.

This evolution responds to the Government’s commitment to boosting the role of the UIB in society, providing it with greater financial capacity and allowing it to carry out strategic projects such as the implementation of the Degree in Medicine, the expansion of places in the Degree in Nursing or the future construction of a new headquarters for the Faculty of Science, among others.

In this regard, the President of the Balearic Islands, Francina Armengol, stressed that “in the last seven years we have changed the paradigm of investment in education and university training, in investment in research, because it is the way to break with social inequalities”. “For two legislatures we have invested in a courageous and committed way in the only possible social life, education and university training,” concluded Francina Armengol.

For his part, the rector of the University of the Balearic Islands, Jaume Carot, described the autonomous community’s contribution to the UIB next year as “a historic transfer”. “We are transferring 100 million euros in funds that will allow us to consolidate the staff, create new services that are very necessary for the University and make structural improvements to buildings,” he said.

Among the actions foreseen in the preliminary draft of the Budget Bill, the Councillor for European Funds, University and Culture, Miquel Company, highlighted the more than 7 million euros earmarked for additional pay for teaching and research staff (+22% compared to 2022), the transfer of 3.4 million euros corresponding to the funding agreement for the Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine, and the increase in places for the Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, financed with 552. 552,266, as well as the payment of 1.17 million euros to finance the work on the Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos building.

Other important items planned are €682,000 to implement the first computer engineering course in Menorca, €500,000 to consolidate the lowering of tuition fees that was carried out in 2022 and €230,000 for teacher training within the framework to improve the competitiveness of the UIB.

In addition, the councillor has valued other extraordinary channels of economic contribution to the UIB, such as the Sustainable Tourism Tax, which will provide more than 13 million euros for the construction of a new headquarters to house the Faculty of Sciences, and the Next Generation European funding programme, which will subsidise with 3.4 million euros the interventions for the energy improvement of the Mateu Orfila and Ramón Llull buildings.

Return of enrolments
The event also saw the presentation of the conditions of the call for applications for grants for the total subsidy of the first undergraduate enrolment fee and a 50% reduction in the cost of second enrolments for the 2022-23 academic year, one of the measures that forms part of the ‘Amb tu’ social shield approved by the Government.

From today until 2 December, students who have enrolled for a minimum of 12 credits and meet the economic requirements (a maximum of €52,800 income in a joint declaration or €33,000 in an individual declaration) can request a refund of the enrolment fee through UIBdigital, up to a maximum of €1,800 per student. According to estimates, the measure will benefit around 6,000 first-time students, at a cost of €5 million, and around 3,000 second-time students, at a cost of €2 million.

This aid is incompatible for first enrolments with the general grant from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. On the other hand, students enrolled in affiliated schools, mobility students from other universities, extraordinary enrolment students and students studying at the University are excluded from this grant.