Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It is a priority for my Department to support higher education institutions, in their critical role as drivers of social and economic development in their regions. Within this overall context, the creation of Technological Universities represents a radical reconfiguration of the higher education landscape, which will deliver significant benefits for regional development. This will be achieved through a strong focus on industry linkages, higher education access, and research-informed teaching and learning excellence.

Significant capital investment remains ongoing in respect of PPP projects at the Central and West Quads which were delivered for TU Dublin in Grangegorman in 2020/2021. In addition there are eleven projects being progressed through the higher education PPP programme. Bundle one consisting of six projects (five on TU campuses) and has commenced construction. There are five projects (all five are on TU campuses) in Bundle two which is at tender stage.

In addition to the PPP projects set out above, over the past two years alone, my Department has disbursed almost €140m in capital funding to the Technological University Sector under a number of capital programmes including the Higher Education Strategic and Infrastructural Fund (HESIF), the Infrastructure and Refurbishment Fund (IURF), the Energy Efficiency Decarbonisation Pathway Programme (EEDPP), the Devolved Capital Grant, the Apprenticeship Programme Grant, the Higher Education Research and Equipment Grant (HEREG) etc.

In February 2022, I also announced the Technological Sector Strategic Projects Fund (TSSPF) a key capital funding programme which will strengthen the technological sector by supporting additional capacity and delivering core infrastructure improvements including research and innovation activity. This important capital investment will also support an ambitious transformation agenda including the strengthening of progression pathways from further education, realising the full potential of digital technologies and ensuring that our TU campuses are flexible and future-proofed. To date, four projects have reached stage 2 under the Infrastructural Guidelines (IG) i.e. Pre-tender - Project Design.

A Feasibility Study Investment fund of €1m in 2023/2024 is also available to support the TU’s in conducting activation feasibility assessments to ascertain student accommodation needs in campus locations.