Scottish universities will receive just in excess of £1 billion in public funding next year.
The package for teaching and research includes £61.3 million for Dundee University. A spokesman said it would restore its teaching grant to roughly where it was before last year’s round of cuts. There will also be £17.1 million for Abertay University and £37.7 million for St Andrews University.
Education Secretary Mike Russell said: ”Our universities make a vital contribution to our economy and to the career prospects of so many of our young people. That is why I am pleased the budget set by the Scottish Government has allowed for a generous funding settlement that reflects this important role.
”We have made a number of proposals to build on the existing strengths of all those involved in post-16 education. This funding comes with the agreement that universities will work with us to take forward these reforms, for example, through improving the learner journey, widening access and enhancing collaboration with industry.”
The allocations have been made by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). It said it expected universities to take ”significant steps” to work towards smoother progression from college, better student retention and accelerated degrees.
SFC chairman John McClelland said the package included funding for university-led innovations to support the Scottish Government’s economic growth strategy. These include the establishment of technology innovation centres in each key economic sector and also a single knowledge exchange office for Scotland.
A Dundee University spokesman said: ”We welcome the indicative grant letter from the SFC and the commitment to universities that the letter reflects on the part of Scottish Government.
”There are still some major components of the grant to be announced, not least in nursing, which is a major area of activity for the university, but overall we expect that the settlement will restore our teaching grant to broadly the level we were at before the cuts seen last year.
”We are also happy to have maintained our position among the top four institutions in Scotland in terms of research funding.”
An Abertay spokesman said: ”We welcome the restoration of last year’s cuts to the teaching grant, although changes to the overall funding due to the new fee arrangements for RUK students and the concentration of research funding on fewer institutions mean that the 2012/13 settlement will continue to pose a challenging financial environment.
”We look forward to discussing with the SFC a new outcome agreement on widening access, articulation from colleges, closer collaboration with industry and greater institutional efficiency.
”We believe Abertay can demonstrate a very strong track record in these areas and we are confident that the funding council will recognise our strengths appropriately.”