Outcome of the discussion between the UG, the Province of Friesland and the Municipality of Leeuwarden about Campus Fryslân

On Monday 24 February, an administrative meeting took place between representatives of the University of Groningen, representative of the Province of Friesland De Rouwe and alderman of the Municipality of Leeuwarden Douwstra in preparation for the so-called mid-term review, taking place in the second half of 2020. This mid-term review was agreed upon at the end of 2015 as a condition of the granting of subsidies by the Province and Municipality to the UG over the period from 2016 to 2023 for the foundation of UG/Campus Fryslân. The UG confirmed that it intends to include the faculty as a sustainable component of its University of the North strategy. After the subsidy period has ended, any financial risks will be for the UG.

During the discussion, the plan of approach regarding the further expansion of degree programmes and student numbers in the second half of this subsidy period was discussed. All parties envision an excellent future for Campus Fryslân, even if it takes longer than originally thought to achieve the desired student numbers.

Both the Province and the Municipality support the initiative for a second Bachelor’s degree programme in Leeuwarden, in the area of Data Science and Society. This could deliver an important contribution to one of the driving and technically-oriented components of the Frisian economy. Campus Fryslân is working further on new Master’s degree programmes and shorter teaching programmes (such as Advanced Certificate Courses), which are expected to start in 2021. In the new Strategic Plan 2020–2025 of the University of Groningen, interdisciplinary collaboration will be key. In this context, the content and organization of these programmes will be further elaborated on by Campus Fryslân in the second half of this year. This will become part of the input for the aforementioned mid-term review, taking place this autumn.

Further input will include the first analysis of the regional impact of the research activities and other actions carried out by Campus Fryslân in the first years of its existence, and its potential for the coming years. To this end, an external investigation will be jointly commissioned, to be completed after the summer. In the autumn, the results of the mid-term review will be discussed in another administrative meeting.