Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 469: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the progress in regard to the commitment given in the programme for Government to provide a multi-annual capital fund of €2 billion for higher education institutions to support investment in the development of modern campus facilities with leading edge teaching and learning infrastructure. [18499/08]

Batt O'Keeffe (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Under the National Development Plan 2007-2013, an envelope of close to €2 billion has been provided for investment in higher education infrastructure. At the end of the first year of the programme, implementation of this measure is progressing satisfactorily with 2007 funding used to deliver additional capacity for apprentices in 4 institutes of technology as well as equipping institutes to enable the implementation of revised curricula for apprentices. Funding was also deployed to enable a series of minor improvements works be carried out within the sector. Sites purchases were grant aided, design costs of major projects in planning were funded and large scale projects at construction were similarly supported.

A sample of some large scale projects at construction that were funded include an new IT Building at National University of Ireland Cork, new Tourism and Hospitality facility at Waterford Institute of Technology, refurbishment of facilities at Limerick Institute of Technology and necessary improvements works to Dublin Institute of Technology facilities. Pipeline projects for which design costs were incurred include a new Engineering building at Athlone Institute of Technology, redevelopment of primary teacher training facilities at St Patrick's College Drumcondra and phase 2 of the Mary Immaculate College of Education project, a new library at Tralee Institute of Technology and expanded facilities at Dundalk Institute of Technology. In addition, 17 individual projects are being progressed for delivery through the public private partnership process.

The Deputy will be aware that the €2 billion referred to above is separate and discrete from planned investments in building and expanding research capacity and capabilities in higher education institutions. In this regard, NDP capital funding of over €750m has been allocated. In 2007, this funding enabled the introduction of a dedicated research equipment grant as well as the launch and approval of awards under Cycle 4 of the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions. Cycle 4 has a capital component of €108m which will be disbursed across 13 higher education institutions and involving 36 individual capital projects that are targeted to deliver over 20,000 m2 of new research facilities. In the current year, the Research Facilities Enhancement Scheme has already been successfully launched where €58m of capital investment is targeted at improving and refurbishing existing research provision within higher education institutions in the course of the year.

Annual funding is set to increase significantly from its 2008 level of €184.4m to €320m in 2009 and beyond for conventionally procured projects.