Courier country universities remain in the dark as to how a £21.5 million Holyrood funding cut will affect them.
The indicative budget for universities is £1.041 billion, 2% down on the figure announced last year.
Money has been saved with the suspension of the global excellence initiative, provoking concern that Scotland’s universities might not be able to compete so effectively.
A St Andrews University spokesman said: “Any cut to research budgets not only threatens to diminish Scotland’s research portfolio and international standing, it will have a direct knock-on effect on jobs and economic wellbeing. It’s a simple and sobering equation.”
A Dundee University spokesman said: “We share the hope of Universities Scotland that this funding is being held back and may be made available to universities in future, as opposed to being cut.
“It is another sign of the challenging financial climate that is facing universities, particularly in regard to research funding.
An Abertay University spokesman said: “We do not yet know what the detailed impact of any change in future research funding might be for Abertay, because the Scottish Funding Council has yet to announce its allocations for individual universities.”
The funding council said £18m would be spent on creating 3,284 new university places, mainly for students from poorer backgrounds. Across Scotland, £282m will be spent on grants supporting research and knowledge exchange.