From Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
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Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris today (Monday) welcomed the application to establish a new technological university in the Midlands and Mid-West from Athlone Institute of Technology and Limerick Institute of Technology.
The application seeks the dissolution of both Institutes and the subsequent establishment of a new university.
The Minister said:
"This is really welcome news. This is the third application to be made under TU legislation by a consortium of Institutes of Technology who are seeking to make the step-change to a new type of higher education institution.
"There is a formal legislative process to take place now but this is an exciting prospect for the Midlands and Mid-West and can be regionally hugely transformative."
Under the 2018 Act two or more Institutes of Technology may apply to the Minister for the making of an order granting TU status subject to their jointly meeting prescribed eligibility criteria.
TU Dublin was the first of this type of new higher education institution, which uniquely provides higher education programmes across all levels of the National Framework of Qualifications from apprenticeships to doctoral degrees, to be established in the State on 1 January 2019.
Subject to approval by the Houses of the Oireachtas the second TU in the State will be established on 1 January 2021 when IT Tralee and Cork IT are dissolved and the Munster Technological University is established serving the South-West region.
Athlone and Limerick Institutes of Technology together have a student population of almost 14,000 and some 1,300 staff.
Further applications for TU status are expected from the Connacht Ulster Alliance, comprising the Institutes of Technology in Galway-Mayo, Sligo and Letterkenny, by the end of this year and from Institute of Technology Carlow and Waterford Institute of Technology by the end of next April seeking the establishment of a TU for the South East of Ireland.
Minister Harris said:
"The creation and development of a network of TUs nationally is a strong commitment in the Programme for Government. These new types of higher education institution are key drivers of a wide range of national strategic policy objectives relating to higher education access, skills retention and creation, research capacity building and research led teaching and learning excellence, regional development and socio-economic progress."
He added:
"We wish to ensure that the benefits of higher education and regional development are spread equitably across the country and that everyone can avail of the high quality provision that TUs deliver for students, staff, employers, enterprise and for the wider local and regional communities they are embedded in."
Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins TD added:
"This is a significant step for the Mid-West and the Midlands and for the TU agenda in Ireland.
"Today, Minister Harris and I will meet with the Presidents of AIT and LIT to discuss the application and thank them for the work in bringing us to this point. I am also pleased to confirm the staff of both institutions have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the TU."
On 7 October the Minister announced the first tranche of funding under a new Transformation Fund overseen and administered by the Higher Education Authority to assist the creation and development of technological universities. The Athlone and Limerick Institutes of Technology consortium was allocated €5 million under this tranche, bringing to €7 million in total the Exchequer funding provided to date to progress their proposals. Government has committed to providing total Exchequer funding of €90 million under the Fund in the period to 2023.
ENDS