Carol Nolan (Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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186. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he remains of the view that the merger of institutes of technology is a pre-requisite for the application for, as opposed to the granting of, technological university status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16931/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the new Programme for Government outlines that this new Government will continue to support the creation of Technological Universities.

This is in line with the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 which provides a framework for the development of the higher education sector to 2030. With regard to the institute of technology sector, the Strategy recommended significant reforms to position the sector to meet national strategic objectives. In particular, the Strategy recommended consolidation within the sector and a pathway of evolution for those consolidated institutes of technology, to allow them to demonstrate significant progress against robust performance criteria and to apply to become technological universities.

Mission of Technological Universities: The intention has always been that a Technological University would be distinctly different from traditional universities and institutes of technology by virtue of their mission relating to graduate formation, applied research and scholarship, dissemination of knowledge to meet the needs of society and enterprise with a very strong regional focus. However, the mission of a university in Ireland as set out in the 1997 Universities Act is broad and comprehensive and as such it is not surprising that there may be some evidence of some elements of overlap between a University and an Institute of Technology or Technological University.

This differentiated mission for a Technological University includes a systematic focus on the preparation of graduates for complex professional roles in a changing technological world, the advancement of knowledge through applied research and scholarship and the dissemination of this knowledge to meet the needs of society and enterprise, and the particular contribution the university will make to the needs of the region in which it is located.

There is no point in making the TU project a simple renaming exercise and falling into traps seen in similar processes in other countries. The institutions concerned are required to achieve high standards across a range of areas before being designated as technological universities. These include standards relating to the qualifications of staff, the quality of research output, the proportion of students engaged in lifelong learning, and other relevant issues.

The following is a list of some of the key features expected of a Technological University: the range of teaching provision (levels 6-10), with the associated scope for progression via appropriate pathways; the strength of provision for work based, and lifelong, learning; the weight of postgraduate research activity relative to that in Institutes of Technology; the key role of experienced practitioners in teaching and research; very close employer links with involvement in curriculum design, teaching and supervision; a strong vocational/professional orientation; a strong regional as well as a wider focus; highly developed responsiveness and flexibility in delivery, with demand (via feedback from employers) as a key driver; and an approach to research that entails building strength in focused areas in close partnership with users.

The mission and vision for each of the individual proposed technological universities is developed by the consortia, in consultation with stakeholders including staff and students, and is contained in the implementation plans subsequently developed.

Regional Focus: There will also be a specific focus on the particular contribution the university will make to the needs of the region in which it is located. The development of technological universities has the potential to deliver greater opportunity to students in these regions, to staff working in the institutions, and to the broader local economy and society.

Position of Technological Universities Bill: The first Government Legislative Programme of this new Partnership Government was published on 8 June 2016, and the Technological Universities Bill has been restored to the Dáil Order Paper at Committee Stage.

I recognise that there were a significant number of matters raised in respect of the Bill at both Committee and Report Stage. It is my intention to now consult with all of the relevant stakeholders in relation to both the matters raised during the legislative process and the commitments contained in the Programme for Government.

Following the finalisation of this consultation process I will then advance the legislation having determined a position in relation to any matters raised as part of this consultation process.