The Ministry of Industry, Universities, Employment, and Commerce plans to allocate a total of 21 million euros in 2027 to the Extraordinary Plan for New University Investments 2026-2031, which will be distributed among the four public universities of the Community. Of that amount, 3.3 million will correspond to the ULE, another 3.3 million to the UBU, 7.2 million to the USAL, with three campuses, and 7.2 million to the UVA, which has four campuses, according to the agreements signed by the president of the Board, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, and the rectors.
This was stated by the Minister of Industry, Universities, Employment, and Commerce during his speech this Tuesday at the Economy and Finance Commission, where he detailed the budget project of his department for 2027. These accounts aim to support the expansion of the university system through "the necessary investments to modernize its facilities and ensure quality education throughout the territory."
Within this framework, the regional budget project reserves more than two million euros to complete the rehabilitation and improvement of energy efficiency of the La Yutera campus in Palencia, and includes 9.1 million for ordinary investments in the campuses. The minister also referred to the 5 million planned for 2026 to build the Polyclinic of the Ponferrada Campus, whose execution will take place between 2027 and 2028.
"Strengthening our universities requires modernizing their campuses beyond this Extraordinary Plan, with ordinary quality infrastructures, of ordinary investment, that promote training and contribute to the development and territorial cohesion of Castilla y León," emphasized the head of the department, who highlighted that in the current academic year, "four new strategic degrees" have been launched: Medicine in Burgos and León, Veterinary Medicine in Salamanca, and Pharmacy in Valladolid.
The 2027 accounts include 12.6 million to guarantee the free first enrollment of the first year of degree studies for students registered in Castilla y León, "one of the most relevant measures of this legislature," in the words of Suárez-Quiñones, as well as 6.3 million for university scholarships, with an increase in both the modalities and the amounts.
The counselor has emphasized that this waiver of the first enrollment is part of a "sustained policy of reducing university public prices" that, since the 2017-2018 academic year, has allowed for a reduction of more than 39 percent in undergraduate fees, more than 50 percent in qualifying master's fees, and 36.9 percent in non-qualifying master's fees, in addition to lowering the cost of university entrance exams.
In total, the General Directorate of Universities and Research will have 583.6 million to cover the operation of universities, campus infrastructures, scholarship programs, and research and knowledge transfer activities. The ordinary funding for public universities will amount to 509.7 million, to which 70.7 million specifically allocated for investments in university infrastructures and equipment will be added.
In the field of research, the budget includes more than 4 million for technical personnel and nearly 7 million for pre-doctoral researchers, in addition to resources for post-doctoral researchers, distinguished researchers, and research groups.
Likewise, 17.4 million will be reserved for attracting, incorporating, and consolidating research talent, and nearly 6.4 million will be allocated to applied science projects, along with 1.5 million for a new call for this type of initiatives, and 3.6 million for the unique scientific-technical infrastructures CENIEH, CLPU, and SCAYLE.
Suárez-Quiñones has reiterated that one of the priorities is to strengthen the connection between universities and the productive fabric in order to transform knowledge into innovation, quality employment, and new opportunities for youth, which is why the Directorate of Universities and Research was integrated into the Ministry of Industry, Employment, and Commerce.
In this context, he specified that the allocation aimed at intensifying the relationship between university and business, knowledge transfer, and innovation exceeds 9.1 million euros. Among the planned measures are the University-Business Knowledge Transfer Plan, university chairs, collaboration projects, and shared scientific equipment.
"We want our universities to become true technological allies of companies, especially SMEs and micro-SMEs, facilitating their access to knowledge, research, and R&D resources," indicated the head of Industry, Universities, Employment, and Commerce.
As an example, he announced that 2.5 million euros will be allocated to the University-Business Knowledge Transfer Plan, which includes 1,000 business plans, 463 companies, and 500 patents; 563,000 euros to university chairs and collaboration projects, including the chairs of Indigenous Languages (Lleunés), ULETECH (Ponferrada Campus), and Francisco de Vitoria (USAL), as well as Casa Ciencia of CSIC (USAL), the Cancer Research Center (SA), and the ProRAE Foundation (Spanish).