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 TD has today announced the achievement of a key milestone on a programme to deliver 11 new higher education buildings, which will facilitate some 8,000 additional student enrolments.
The tender for the first bundle under this Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme will proceed to tender immediately and will include six projects in the eastern and southern regions and in the midlands.
Projects are located in the TU Dublin Tallaght and Blanchardstown campuses; in CIT and IT Tralee, which will merge to create the new Munster Technological University in January 2021; in the Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Dún Laoghaire; and in Athlone Institute of Technology.
The projects are being delivered under Project Ireland 2040, which recognises that investment in education is central to achieving a strong, future-proofed economy, balanced across the regions, and a just society in which all citizens are enabled to fulfill their potential.
Minister Harris said:
"This is a key milestone in what is a very ambitious programme of investment in the higher education sector. Such investment has never been more important. The higher education sector, and within that our new Technological Universities and our Institutes of Technology, have an essential role to play in driving recovery across Ireland’s regions and in preparing for the opportunities and challenges of a changing economy.
"The new infrastructure to be delivered under this Programme will enhance the campus environment for students and staff, and support strengthened partnerships with industry. The buildings will have a strong focus on supporting practice-based learning, including laboratories, workshops and studios. They will also have significant flexibility to adapt to changing teaching and learning needs, and to support hybrid and remote learning."
The second bundle of five projects includes investments in the south-east, west and in the north-west, and is expected to go to tender in Q1 2021. The projects are located in WIT and IT Carlow, which are part of the consortium seeking to establish a Technological University for the South East; in GMIT and Letterkenny IT, which are part of the Connacht Ulster Alliance; and in Limerick IT which has formed a consortium with Athlone IT.
The bundles will be procured by the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA) on behalf of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science as Approving Authority. The Higher Education Authority is the Sponsoring Agency for the Programme.
As with other PPP projects in the education sector, the contract type envisaged is a Design, Build, Finance and Maintain (DBFM) contract. The successful tenderer for each of the bundles will construct the buildings using private finance, and will then operate and maintain the buildings over a period of 25 years. Payment by the department will be by way of monthly Unitary Charge payments over the 25 year operational period, which will start when construction has been completed.
ENDS
The Projects included in the Higher Education PPP Programme are:
| Higher Education Institution (TU/TU Consortium) | Project Name | Gross Floor Area approx. (sqm) | Project Description |
| Cork Institute of Technology (Munster TU) | Learning Resource Centre | 6800 | The proposed project is the construction of a Learning Resource Centre which will accommodate learning, study, exhibition, engagement and entrepreneurial space. It will allow CIT to increase capacity across STEM, business and humanities subjects. |
| Institute of Technology, Tralee (Munster TU) | STEM & Agri-Tech Building | 9000 | The construction of a building to accommodate the STEM School of IT Tralee, including agri-tech facilities. The STEM building will be located at the Institute’s north Campus at Dromtacker. |
| TU Dublin Tallaght Campus | Culinary Arts, Hospitality & Tourism and Engineering Building | 5200 | This project includes a technical development centre (i.e. practice based learning facilities for engineering and science courses); facilities for the culinary arts; and new classrooms and computer labs. |
| TU Dublin Blanchardstown Campus | Teaching Building | 4000 | As part of its campus Masterplan, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown is expanding its general teaching facilities to support growth in student numbers across a range of disciplines. |
| Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT/LIT TU Consortium) | STEM Building | 6025 | Development of a new STEM facility to include science labs, lecture theatres, classrooms and other facilities. |
| Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT), Dun Laoghaire* | Digital Media Building | 7300 | The construction of a Digital Media Building which will house the animation and visual design communications labs, with capacity also for growth in courses in creative computing, entrepreneurship and creative technologies. |
| Higher Education Institution (TU/TU Consortium) | Project Name | Gross Floor Area approx. (sqm) | Project Description |
| Waterford Institute of Technology (TU for the South East Consortium) | Engineering, Computing and General Teaching Building | 12800 | This project consists of the construction of a new Engineering, Computing and General Teaching Building at WIT’s Cork Road Campus. It will provide for the consolidation of a number of faculties in one space and generate efficiencies in that respect. |
| Limerick Institute of Technology (AIT/LIT TU Consortium) | Applied Science & IT Building | 5200 | This project provides for the construction of a new Applied Science & IT building on the LIT Moylish campus. The building will accommodate science labs, flat teaching facilities, computer labs, tutorial rooms, breakout and meeting spaces. |
| Letterkenny Institute of Technology (Connacht Ulster Alliance) | Library, IT and Teaching Building | 5100 | This project provides for the construction of a Library and General Education Building which will accommodate a learning resource centre, IT and innovation laboratories, online learning delivery rooms and classrooms |
| Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (Connacht Ulster Alliance) | STEM Building | 5500 | The GMIT project involves construction of a new STEM building, which will include labs, multi-purpose rooms, lab support rooms, seminar rooms and classrooms. |
| Carlow Institute of Technology (TU for the South East Consortium) | Science Building | 6100 | The project in Institute of Technology Carlow provides additional space for STEM provision, in particular health science. The building will include provision for labs, lab support and specialist health science spaces. |
*The planning application for the IADT Digital Media building was refused and is currently the subject of an appeal to An Bord Pleanála, with a decision due in September.
Following a pre-qualification process, three candidates were shortlisted and are now invited to tender for Bundle 1. Further detail on the shortlist is available here: www.ndfa.ie/project/higher-education-ppp-programme.