Parpool error: Mathworks licensing error 5008

I frequently (but not always) get a licensing error when I initiate parpool. The error message is "Mathworks Licensing Error 5008: You are not licensed to use MATLAB R2026a/b", which is accompanied by another licensing error "Mathworks Licensing Error 5020: Unable to find or access the specified path".

I have uninstalled and reinstalled MATLAB, unlinked and relinked the license but none of this has fixed the issue.

The most recent instance threw up the 5008 licensing error for MATLAB 2026b even though I was using 2026a. Screenshot below

The license is a campus-wide academic license.

[Torsten]

First ask your IT department.

If they cannot help, contact TMW support:

https://uk.mathworks.com/support/contact_us.html