Scotland's Universities

As an amendment to motion S4M-13313 in the name of Liz Smith (Scotland’s Universities), leave out from “believes” to end and insert “welcomes their continued successes in attracting high-quality students and staff from all over the world and in producing research of global renown; notes that they do so against a backdrop of budget pressures, including the loss of £21 million from the Scottish Government in research funding and a planned €2.2 billion cut to EU Horizon 2020 funding, and through the efforts of hard-working staff and researchers, some of whom are on zero-hours contracts and many facing significant pressure to win funding grants and publish papers; further notes the 150 planned job losses at the University of Aberdeen, as well as recent industrial action at the University of Dundee following the announcement of 170 job losses; supports the University and College Union’s call for the Scottish Government to step in and save vital jobs at the Scottish Association for Marine Science, which is planning to make redundant 15 members of staff at the remote marine research centre near Oban, and calls on the Scottish Government to ensure that the higher education sector in Scotland remains internationally competitive."