Thomas Estermann, Director for Governance, Funding and Public Policy Development at the European University Association tackles the issue of universities’ efficiency and their value for society in a broader European context. The presentation shows the most recent trends in public funding of universities across Europe, including the release of the 2016 Public Funding Observatory, and explore the links between public budgets for universities, efficiency measures and funding modalities. The full report is available here: http://eua.be/Libraries/governance-autonomy-funding/public-funding-observatory-2016.pdf?sfvrsn=0 and more information about our work in Higher Education and Research Funding can be found here: http://eua.be/activities-services/projects/eua-online-tools/public-funding-observatory-tool.aspx