A first part of the aid will concern all establishments, the second will be paid on a case-by-case basis.
Faced with soaring energy costs, the Minister of Higher Education Sylvie Retailleau announced on Thursday that an envelope of 275 million euros would be released to help research organizations, colleges and universities to cope with the additional costs. “The aid will be paid in proportion to the additional costs, to help all the establishments, because all are subject to the increase in energy prices“, explained the minister in an interview with the newspaper The echoes.
Additional costs estimated at 500 million euros for 2023
A first part of this aid will concern all establishments, the second will be paid on a case-by-case basis. The financial reserves of the establishments will be put to use. In total, 275 million euros will be released to meet the additional costs in 2023. “This fund will be used for higher education institutions such as research organizations, as well as for Crous“, explains Sylvie Retailleau. Additional energy costs for higher education establishments are estimated at 500 million euros for 2023 compared to 2021. For research organisations, the additional costs could reach 100 million euros in 2023 compared to 2021, according to Les Echos . “We don’t want to dry up working capital“says Sylvie Retailleau. “We do not want to penalize their activities, nor freeze their projects or hiring. On the other hand, we ask them to show responsibility when they have very large working capital available“, she warned.
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According to her, “there can be no dormant money. These reserves are there to be used in times of crisis“. The Minister also assures that the “establishments are fully committed to an energy sobriety approach” and “are currently establishing sobriety plans that will lead to a reduction in energy consumption of 5 to 10% from 2023“. If the additional costs continue to increase, Sylvie Retailleau does not rule out having recourse to the precautionary reserve, provided for by the finance law. “We will take stock at the end of 2023. It may, if necessary, be released according to the actual additional costs, if they exceed the current forecasts, and the financial capacities of the establishments, at the end of 2023.“, she assures.