February 27, 2025
Silja Bára R. Ómarsdóttir, writes
Public universities in Iceland are underfunded, and this is not least true of the University of Iceland, which is both a national university and an international research university. University funding in Iceland is considerably lower than in other Nordic countries. Despite repeated statements by the government about aiming for the Nordic average in university funding, this is far from being achieved. The funding of the University of Iceland needs to be improved through targeted measures to ensure that its staff can continue to teach and research in a way that makes the university competitive in an international context and can fulfill its obligations to Icelandic society.
One way to improve funding is to increase the application for foreign research funds. But this application is not realistic, since strong domestic competitive funds and an acceptable institutional environment are necessary prerequisites for applying for foreign grants. Researchers need the support of a strong institution where basic services for staff and students are guaranteed. Researchers cannot conduct research if the teaching load is far beyond what can be considered normal.
Tax credits for corporate research and development have been greatly increased, while funding for basic research has been cut. The allocation process in Rannís is transparent and based on professional criteria, but due to underfunding, only about 17% of applications to the Icelandic Research Fund are approved. It is unclear what criteria are behind the corporate tax credits and how easy they are to process. We must ask ourselves whether some of this money would not be better spent funding research conducted within universities.
The staff of the University of Iceland responded to the government's call for increased research activity, raised the bar and transformed the University of Iceland from a teaching university into an international research university. In the transformation, which began at the turn of the last century, the experience of academic disciplines that had already shown active participation in international research work where strong infrastructure is of paramount importance was used. Other examples of success in this regard include the research of Icelandic virologists and geologists that had attracted deserved attention on the international stage. Their success is not only due to the diligence and hard work of strong academics, but also to the government's support for research in these disciplines. Society in Iceland and abroad is now enjoying the results.
If the University of Iceland is to continue to be a credit to the country and the nation, the government must keep its promises regarding funding. This requires formulating and following a clear policy on how to meet the funding needs and ensuring that public funds are allocated to research at the university level. Such follow-up will result in even more robust university work, increased research and improved competitiveness of the University of Iceland on an international scale. We can no longer just talk about the importance of research – it must be funded.
