Probationary lecturers at Queen's University Belfast are being "set up to fail", a union leader has claimed.
Alan Harpur, president of the University and College Union (UCU) at Queen's, also suggested the institution could face a glut of unfair dismissal cases.
Academic staff are already campaigning against job losses and "unreasonable and crude" revenue targets.
There is disquiet about plans that demand some senior staff raise £100,000.
Up until last year, Queen's did not require individual academics to raise specific amounts, but grant income goals are being introduced for most academic posts.
Now, the UCU is unhappy about changes that, it claims, could see dozens of probationary lecturers leave.
Mr Harpur, a lecturer in the School of Sociology, said new lecturers agreed to meet certain standards set out in a probation profile when appointed. This included publishing articles and books and applying for grant income if necessary for any research undertaken.
There were approximately 222 probationary lecturers hoping to be confirmed in post by the end of a three-year period, Mr Harpur said.
However, he said late last year, 133 of them received a letter which "effectively moved the goal posts by changing the requirements to pass probation".
"Now rather than just applying for grant income they had to attain grant income at a relatively high and unrealistic target figure," he said.
"Likewise, they had to achieve arduous student evaluation scores and be principal investigators on a grant application.
"This you might think bad enough but the catch 22 was that having applied for a grant, the individual has no control over whether they get it. In fact only about 20 per cent of grant applications are successful. So on the face of it individuals are being set up to fail."
Mr Harpur said at a time when young lecturing staff should be teaching, publishing, researching and attempting to further their subject, Queen's had "erected what are seen as unachievable income targets".
"If these are not obtained the probationer is at risk of not passing probation and being dismissed," Mr Harpur said.
"Even on its own terms of increasing grant income the strategy is unlikely to succeed as a constant stream of probation staff leave for greener pastures and more welcoming and supportive environments.
"But the solution is relatively simple. Let the 133 lecturing probation staff complete their probation period under the probation profile existing at the time of their appointment and for new appointments reconsider the probation requirements especially with respect to the necessity of attaining grant income."
Queen's did not respond to requests for a comment.
