Annual reports
Breda University of Applied Sciences renders account, among other things, in its annual report.
Annual report
Downloads of the full annual report 2023 and the annual reports of previous years are listed below the summary. Unfortunately, the full annual reports are only available in Dutch.
Summary annual report 2023
As a specialist higher education institute, BUas strives to be a leading international knowledge institute with innovative, high-quality education and research and a strong relevance for business and society. The year under review was the second year of our new 2022-2025 strategic direction: ‘BUas+, More than a University of Applied Sciences’.
Priority First
We aim to focus on and anticipate rapidly emerging developments and the changing needs of society and students. Therefore, under the name Priority First, BUas honed its strategic ambition in the autumn of 2023. A sharper focus allows us to strengthen our effectiveness and agility. To this end, our students must have relevant and up-to-date knowledge and a moral compass regarding the ethical issues associated with these global developments such as articifial intelligence (AI), sustainability and climate change.
- Sustainability and climate change
In 2023, BUas decided to conduct climate education pilot schemes for first-year bachelor’s students as of 2024-2025. Moreover, the first steps were made to develop a strategy to become a climate-positive organisation by 2035. - Artificial intelligence (AI)
Through the Meaningful AI Endeavours programme, we support embracing AI technologies to maintain our competitive position and ensure a balanced, innovative and responsible AI-powered future. A BUas-wide AI course was designed in 2023, which is being offered to all employees as of January 2024. - Internationalisation and well-being
Internationalisation and well-being have been identified as strategic themes for the coming years. When it comes to enhancing our international profile, we have opted for a European focus. Furthermore, priorities in the future will be expanding our range of training courses in the field of Dutch language and culture and improving housing facilities for international students.
Traditionally, internationalisation is hardwired into the DNA of our organisation. Our international students and employees contribute significantly to the international character of our campus community, the international classroom and the cross-cultural and international experiences for the entire BUas student population. The current political discussion on the recruitment of international students is being monitored closely, as internationalisation is of strategic importance for our institute. BUas is closely involved in discussions on this topic with the Dutch Association of Universities of Applied Sciences and the ministry of Education, Culture and Science.
Education+
State-of-the-art education is at the heart of our strategic direction. The movement towards more digital forms of education and a broader application of the blended learning principle remains an important part of ongoing educational innovation.
Starting in the academic year 2024-2025, a uniform annual schedule will be implemented for all bachelor's programmes. This paves the way for students to take cross-domain curriculum components and shape their own learning path.
The influx of students into logistics courses in the Netherlands has been declining for several years, and BUas is no exception in this respect. This decline is worrying, because in the long term there is a great demand for employees within the logistics and supply chain sector. The ministry of Education, Culture and Science has made financial resources available to support the vitality of training courses in shrinking regions. In July 2023, the plan submitted by BUas was awarded €900 k€.
Research & Development+, and connection to industry and social institutions
R&D at BUas is organised in professorships, incorporated within the five academies, and in the BUas-wide Research and Graduate School (RGS). In R&D, lecturers and researchers work together with national and international partner organisations, industry and government and they feed research findings back into education.
The focus within R&D is on three cross-domain and two transversal themes. BUas appointed its first transversal professor on the theme of Sustainability Transformations, working with and for researchers from all BUas-domains.
In 2023, BUas actively participated in the pilot initiative for the development of professional doctorate (PD) programmes in collaboration with several universities of applied sciences. BUas participates in two domains: Leisure, Tourism & Hospitality (LTH) and Art & Creative. Four BUas candidates were approved by the Graduate Committees of both domains; two of whom started in the autumn of 2023.
BUas+ community, student and staff well-being
Well-being and community building are important pillars in our strategy. BUas attaches great importance to being a diverse and inclusive community, where all students and staff feel at home, safe, seen and heard. In 2023, the main focus was raising awareness. Work has also been done on embedding diversity and inclusivity within all strategic themes. BUas is currently undertaking a survey of social safety on campus and optimising it where possible.
As in previous years, attention was paid to organisational development in 2023 under the name Community Organisation+. This initiative aims to increase professional autonomy in order to achieve a more flexible and innovative BUas organisation. To this end, BUas continued implementing the concept of team-based working (TBW).
The increasing rate of absenteeism due to illness in 2023 requires attention. In 2023, research was conducted into the effectiveness of the services in the field of well-being. This research, together with other insights, has served as input for the development of a new integrated welfare policy. In 2023, activities for the benefit of staff well-being were carried out. With the development of the Community Organisation, BUas is committed to providing its professionals with additional professional freedom, accountability and ownership, aiming to realise a sustainable solution to work pressure and to foster an environment where professionals are actively engaged in their own professional development.
Financial and key figures
The financial result in 2023 was € 1,014 negative, with a negative budget of € 3,082 in advance. The more positive financial result is the outcome of additional governmental resources, the phased start of strategic projects, interest income and lower expenses in allocations to personnel provisions in relation to the budget. All financial numbers in this annual report are presented in thousands of euros, unless stated otherwise.