Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Murphy for the question. I am sure she will not mind me also acknowledging that Deputy Marian Harkin raised this with me earlier in the interests of her constituency.

The establishment of technological universities, including a technological university in the Connacht-Ulster region, is an important part of the Government’s higher education policy as underscored in the programme for Government. Technological universities will provide increased choices for students, an enhanced student experience and greater access for students in tackling educational disadvantage, with technological universities offering a broad range of higher education provision from apprenticeship to doctoral degrees. Technological universities will also support an increased intensity of research-informed teaching and learning and research activity, which will provide increased opportunities for collaboration with industry, attraction of foreign direct investment, retention and expansion of skills and, crucially, deliver regional development and socioeconomic benefits to the region.

Under the statutory framework detailed in the Technological Universities Act 2018, it is a matter, in the first instance, for the relevant institutes of technology participating in a technological university consortium to progress their plans and, when ready, to make an application to the Minister seeking an order establishing a technological university subject to their meeting the eligibility criteria prescribed in the 2018 Act.

The Connacht-Ulster alliance of GMIT, LYIT and IT Sligo has advised my Department that it is making significant progress towards meeting the relevant technological university criteria and it is understood that the alliance plans to submit an application under the relevant legislative procedure by the end of this year. It is working its way through that. The governing bodies met in November 2019 to accelerate their proposals. The consortium has to date received €5.9 million in Exchequer funding through the higher education landscape funding to assist in its technological university development proposals. A steering group is in place along with four working groups and 19 sub-groups, involving more than 150 staff and students from across the range of the consortium. A huge amount of work is under way. My message to everybody is that we need this train to leave the station soon. We need the delivery of this technological university for the north west.

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