Contract Programme: Basic Funding (FB) and Funding by Objetives (FO)
The Canarian Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ACECAU) is an Autonomous Organization of an administrative nature, organically attached to the Regional Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, that assumes the functions established in the Organic Law of Universities 6/2001, 21 December, as well as those stemming from the Government’s contract-programmes with the Canarian Universities.
For this reason, ACECAU, once the Funding Plan for Canarian Universities 2009-2013 was passed by the Government Council on 9 September 2008, has been commended the task of accrediting the data established in the Contract Programme articulated on the basis of: Basic Funding, aimed at funding teaching and research activities and, Funding by objectives, aimed at encouraging improvements in the strategic areas of teaching, research and development and social impact. To that end, it has created a Protocol to accredit Basic Funding and Funding by Objectives.
A) BASIC FUNDING
Basic funding (FB) has to guarantee the general running of the University and defray personnel costs, goods and services costs, repair expenses, maintanence and conservation of facilities and equipment, aiming at the normal efficiency and quality of the official teaching system and that of basic research.
It will be based on parameters in which teaching, research and development will be taken into account. Basic funding will calculate PDI and PAS costs, running costs (GC), replacement and maintenance costs (GRM) and those actions aimed at quality improvement (MC).
1. Data for Basic Funding
The Funding assessment consists of the following parts or blocks, according to the Contract Programme:
- Block 1: Pre-grade teaching
- Block 3: Post-grade (third cycle)
- Block 4: Research activity
- Block 5: Teaching and Research Personnel
- Block 6: Administration and Service Personnel
For each of these blocks, Universities must present the statistical data collected in each of the “Files” provided by the Contract Programme. These data must be accredited by the competent organization.
B) FUNDING BY OBJECTIVES
It is aimed at encouraging improvements in areas considered as strategic. These strategic action areas are the following:
- Improve the work placement of the graduates.
- Reduce the drop-out rates and the real duration of studies.
- Favour the generation of new doctors and the integration of researchers coming from competitive official announcements.
- Favour the mobility of students, PDI and PAS.
- Increase actions related to cooperation programmes towards development.
- Increase the transfer of innovation and knowledge to society.
- Improve the efficiency and quality in the management of resources.
1. Requirements in order to opt for funding by objectives
In order to opt for funding by objectives, according to the Contract Programme, the Universities have to comply with the following requirements:
Not to present a deficit in the previous budget year, that is, that expenses do not exceed the acknowledged revenues. Should the university have a deficit accumulated from previous financial years,that it had made up for by debt, it would have to present a financial correction plan, by which the access to the funding by objectives of the following financial years, would be subject to the compliance with the mentioned plan.
That the RPT (List of Work Posts) for PDI and PAS has been passed by the Government of the Canary Islands, or, and only during the first year of validity of the Contract Programme, that it is being processed by the General Directorate of Universities.
To have a Strategic Plan already passed or being processed during the first year of validity of the Contract Programme.
Assessment Process
A. Data delivery deadline
The Universities will be asked to provide, befote the 30 May of each year, the necessary information in order to be able to apply the modelo f the following financial year. The data will refer to the last closed academic year and the last calendar year, indicating for each indicator the period of time for which it has been requested.
B. Documentation to be submitted to ACECAU
- Application model (APPENDIX A)
- Document “Responsible Declaration” (APPENDIX B)
- The “files” proposed in the Contract Programme.
C. Revision of data
The information mentioned in the previous paragraph will be sent by the Universities, within the indicated period (30 May), to the The Canarian Agency for Quality Assessment and Accreditation (ACECAU), which will accredit it before sending it to the Regional Ministry of Education, Universities, Culture and Sports. For this purpose, ACECAU has created an application model y Document "Responsible Declaration" which should be filled in by the applying Universities and presented to ACECAU together with the “Files” which are to be found in the Contract Programme.
Once these data have been sent, ACECAU will initiate their assessment and accreditation. For this purpose, ACECAU will issue an Accredited Report for each block: Basic Funding and Funding by Objectives, which will be sent to the Regional Ministry of Education, Universities, Culture and Sports.
D. Absence or incoherence of data
According to the Contrtact Programme, if the data for the calculations of the model were not available on the established deadlines or, the information provided did not have the guarantees of reliability, the basic funding to be received by the University would be determined according to the funding obtained in the previous financial year, plus the pay increase contemplated for civil servants in the Budgets of the Autonomous Canarian Government.
In the case of funding by objectives, should the data not be available or should they be incorrect, the funding provided by the indicator or indicators affected by this fact, would not be included.
E. Sending or receipt of data
The Universities will send ACECAU their assessment models together with the “files” proposed in the Contract Programme via e-mail.
For security measures, these should be sent in PDF format. Also, the Application model (APPENDIX A) and the Document of “Responsible Declaration” APPENDIX B), once signed, should be sent by mail or presented at the Agency’s registry office.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The documentation presented to ACECAU has to be provided in PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA together with the EVIDENCE put forward in the application or assessment model.
