This Monday there was white smoke in Puerta del Sol. The rectors of the public universities and the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, finally signed the new financing model developed by the regional government, which provides for 14,790.7 million euros between 2026 and 2031, of which the regional Executive will finance 83%. Both parties described the multi-year plan as “historic.” However, while the academic authorities sealed the institutional truce, peace did not reach the campuses. “Economic asphyxiation is consolidated in six years,” warn the six Platforms of the Public Universities of Madrid. They consider that the pact is the “chronicle of an announced scam” staged “in a shameful theater,” in reference to the meeting held.
“Through very large figures and through empty headlines, they have tried to deceive us,” they point out this Tuesday in a statement in which they are disappointed with the representative of the Conference of Rectors of the Public Universities of Madrid (CRUMA), Amaia Mendikoetexea: “She has made an ode to the Ayuso Government as if the same one that set fire to our campuses was now saving us from the fire.” They feel that the president of the Community of Madrid has announced a sea of figures to divert the focus from the real impact of the financial model. “The key fact is that university investment will continue to be around 0.4% or 0.45% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), very far from 1%,” they lament.
The State Law of the University System (LOSU) establishes the objective that the public endowment of the campuses reaches at least 1% of the GDP by the year 2030. “Although public financing increases in absolute terms, in relative terms to the expected growth of the economy this represents clear stagnation, which also becomes chronic in six years’ time,” they lament from the six platforms.
They feel deceived and insist on the importance of not being overwhelmed by the announced data. “We are in the habit of reading annual figures, but in this case they have presented us with logically larger figures because they refer to a period of six years and aggregated for all universities, where they have also included, as if it were public investment by the Community of Madrid, what are income from other concepts,” they point out.
The 14,790 million euros represent the total budget that the universities will have. Of that amount, 12,294 million correspond to the regional level and also incorporate Chapter III, that is, resources from public prices and university fees, as well as funds destined for Science programs, Social Councils and scholarships. But this item already constitutes a significant percentage of the financing of universities. The six platforms show their anger after stating that in the meeting they held this Monday afternoon with CRUMA they were denied access to the signed agreement, a clear symptom of distrust, in their opinion.
Without taking into account the common funds, related to financing by objectives or specific financing for investments, among others, the Complutense University will receive 2,914.2 million euros from the Community of Madrid in six years; the Autonomous, 1,260.5 million; the University of Alcalá, 763 million; Carlos III, 850.1 million; the Polytechnic, 1,676.3 million, and the Rey Juan Carlos, 971.9 million. Aside from the fact that GDP is expected to grow during those six years – which will make the proportional increase smaller – investment will increase from 0.4% of GDP to just over 0.5%.
These figures will not make it possible to alleviate the accumulated deficit of previous years, nor guarantee sufficient structural financing to meet minimum objectives, according to the six platforms. “What this multi-year financing plan implies is that the strong cuts that have already begun to be implemented in some universities will continue to be applied in the coming years. If there is not a much greater increase in the nominative transfer by the Community of Madrid, there is no alternative but to cut expenses (mainly personnel), borrow, or suspend payments,” they warn.
The regional Executive indicates that by 2031, public universities will receive an additional 549 million euros, with a 41% increase in specific funds (480 million more). “The model includes financing for Science programs, Social Councils and scholarships, and it is estimated that universities can generate other own income close to 2.5 billion euros during the years of the plan,” they point out. The model is goal-oriented. Each university must annually present a report justifying the use of funds and have operational analytical accounting before 2028.
“In addition, extraordinary funds adapted to the needs of each institution are contemplated: one from Convergence to correct imbalances and deficits, and another additional one to compensate for the effects of the new model and finance unique projects that increase university competitiveness,” they explain from the Community of Madrid.
These are clearly insufficient figures for the opposition. “Public investment must reach 1% of Madrid’s GDP in 2031 and the signed agreement falls far below,” says the spokesperson for Más Madrid in the Assembly, Manuela Bergerot. “This agreement does not even remotely resolve the gap that universities have and the structural deficit of Madrid’s public campuses, which are also the worst financed in the entire country and are light years away from European capitals. It is the constellation of a failure,” says the PSOE spokesperson in the Assembly, Mar Espinar. He considers that the negotiation has been carried out in a disadvantageous position for the rectors, asphyxiated and asking for credits to pay salaries: “They have been made to choose between fright or death.”
CRUMA values the pact positively
However, CRUMA positively values the signing of the multi-year financing agreement. Academic authorities consider that it allows addressing the double urgency, strategic and financial, that public campuses face. At the same time, they emphasize that the construction of a fully strengthened university system is a cumulative task that requires continuity of effort and coherence over time.
Amaya Mendikoetxea stated in her speech that the text of the agreement qualifies Madrid’s public universities as “an essential strategic asset for the economic, scientific, social and cultural development of the region.” At this point, he highlighted that the financing model aims to allow campuses to “fully perform their functions, plan long-range investments and reinforce institutional co-responsibility.”
The rectors especially value four fundamental elements of this model: the economic effort involved in six-year planning; the multiannual nature that allows the evolution to be visualized until 2031, the adaptation to the reality of each university, through two additional funds and the progressive evolution towards a greater weight of common funds, linked to strategic objectives and needs, thus reinforcing results orientation and co-responsibility.
CRUMA considers that the pact introduces horizon and certainty for the six public universities in the region: “This agreement does not close a stage, it inaugurates a new phase of responsible growth, institutional cooperation and shared ambition.” In their opinion, Madrid has the opportunity to position itself among the great European leaders in higher education, research and innovation, and the rectors feel that this agreement brings them closer to that goal.
Mobilizations
The six Platforms of the Public Universities of Madrid are proud of the achievements achieved: “Only with the mobilizations of the year 2025 have we caused a crisis in the Government of the Community of Madrid and the temporary paralysis of the Law on Higher Education, Universities and Science. We have shown that the castle of Ayuso is not impregnable.” After the fall of the pocholos, They believe that now, with “a crude staging”, the aim is to put an end to the mobilization of the university community. But, as they warn, “the asphyxiation continues without reversing its fundamental tendencies.”
For now, they continue with their roadmap and call to support any initiative in defense of public education after announcing a demonstration for next April 19 and possible strikes in order to reverse the privatization process. “How do we now relate to the rectors when they have signed an agreement in which we have not participated and that they do not even want to teach us?”, they ask.
