Summer news: grants, gold medals, and salary increase

Holidays over, TOP Week over, the university can get back to business. Not that Tilburg has been idle the last months. Grab a quick coffee; here’s a brief overview of the summer news.

Golden rowers

Students from all over the world competed for the highest honors this summer at the World University Games, the Olympic Games for students. Three Vidar students, Reinier Vriens, Thomas Driessen, and Pepijn Ermstrang, did so with great success. Together with VU student and Okeanos rower Kevin-Lee Bieshaar, they were the first to cross the finish line in Duisburg at the end of July during the medal race, winning gold.

Veni grants coming to Tilburg

Tilburg is still not attracting enough research grants, the Executive Board stated before the summer. They want to significantly improve that in the coming years. This was confirmed once again when the Veni grants were awarded in July. Of the two hundred grants awarded to recently graduated researchers, only two went to Tilburg.

Alice Dejean de la Bâtie received a Veni grant to investigate the extent to which activists or volunteers who help refugees are legally protected from criminalization. Is the right to help others a valid defense, and if so, to what extent?

The other Veni grant goes to lawyer Laura Mai, who is researching how international law addresses climate change. Even if the human-caused damage is clear, questions remain about who is responsible and which measures are justifiable.

Boerke Mutsaers stays for a year

Across the railway line, Boerke Mutsaers has stood for centuries. But since this summer, this café-restaurant-conference center has been closed. It has been bought by developer Magis Vastgoed, who wants to demolish it to build 300 student housing units. That all seems well and good, but not for the municipality of Tilburg. The municipality does not yet intend to approve these construction plans – until there is more clarity about the renovation and relocation of Tilburg University station to the campus – the municipality wants the building to stay were it is. Therefore, the property will be leased for one year from Magis Vastgoed.

Increased salary

Once again, living expenses and groceries are more expensive, so more money for university employees is very welcome. In the collective labor agreement for the coming year, the universities and unions have agreed to a 2% pay increase, effective July 1st. In addition, everyone will receive €100 on top of their gross salary. There will also be a one-time payment of €350 gross, based on a full-time position. The agreements were already known, but the contract was actually signed at the end of July.

Furthermore, agreements have been made regarding an Employability Fund to support employees in their development and (re)training. This is in light of the uncertain times of budget cuts and reorganizations. It has also been agreed that work will be done to increase social safety and reduce the workload.