More students than ever, with the exception of the pandemic year 2021, studied at Umeå University in 2023. The number of employees increased again, and the University continued to have a high number of active doctoral students. Financial performance for 2023 ended at minus SEK 186 million, which was a planned deficit. These are some examples of what the annual report for 2023 shows, which the University Board has now approved.
In 2023, Umeå University maintained its position as the fifth largest university in terms of first-choice applicants to study programmes. The fact that so many people showed an interest in the University's courses and study programmes, and that society is in dire need of more trained doctors, nurses, teachers and other professionals, is reflected in the fact that the University has one of most vast range of vocational programmes in Sweden. In addition, interest in the various distance education offered by the University increased. Despite this, Umeå University did not reach the so-called funding cap, i.e. the educational framework given to the University, and therefore the government funding for undergraduate level education was minus SEK 60 million.
In terms of international student recruitment, the number of fee-paying students continued to rise to a new record level. In addition, a special initiative started with the aim to recruit international students from Europe for the period 2023–2025. All types of degrees also increased in number, including general and professional qualifications as well as qualifications in the fine, applied and performing arts.
During the year, the University's researchers and research areas were awarded numerous research funding, donations and awards. For instance, the University received a large donation for research into the disease ALS, Professor Ludvig Edman was awarded the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant and André Mateus and Nicolò Maccaferri were appointed Wallenberg Academy Fellows. The number of active doctoral students also continued to grow.
Three prioritised research areas of high international quality and clear links to societal benefits were identified during the year. These are Learning and brain plasticity throughout the life span; Mastering microbial infections; and Plant science for a sustainable green transformation of the Subarctic. The priorities were picked out based on broad-scaled discussions on research strategy.
The University's workforce grew, and the number of employees was higher than ever. The increase took place in several professional categories such as postdoctoral fellows, technical and administrative staff as well as assistant and associate professors. This also means that we reached the Government's goal of having at least 2% assistant professors in relation to the total number of employed teachers and research fellows. However, the University did not manage to meet the target for the proportion of newly recruited women professors.