The government today allocated Trinity €1,752,000, as part of a €25 million package for capital works and equipment across the third-level sector.
The package has grown this year from €10 million, and will extend to the university sector for the first time in almost a decade.
The money is earmarked for higher education institutions to deal with small-scale capital investments and equipment needs.
In a press statement, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said that he was “very pleased” to announce the increased package, saying that it was “essential that higher education institutions can reinvest in their existing estate, renew and update their equipment, and can make capital investments to respond to developments in online and blended learning”.
“Ongoing capital investment is essential to ensuring a high quality academic environment and a positive campus experience for students and staff”, Harris added. “This flexible funding complements other targeted capital investments in the sector that will help expand availability of student places and transform campus infrastructure over the coming years.”
The package is not included in the €168 million package for the higher education sector announced by the government in July.
The money is intended to be spent on improvements to health and safety on campuses, as well as upgrades to infrastructure, ICT and energy-related initiatives such as energy-efficient lighting.
In late July, Harris surprised the higher education, announcing a €168 million package to help the third-level sector deal with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
The announcement came after the Irish Independent reported in May that the Department of Education did not intend on financially assisting higher education institutions.
The decision came in response to requests from the Higher Education Authority for “significant government intervention in the form of a financial support package” to support the sector “through this crisis”.
In a submission to the Department of Education, the HEA said the pandemic would have “immense financial consequences” for the sector, with losses of around €508 million for 2020 and 2021.
In response, the Department said that there was “no commitment or expectation of additional funding for the education sector at the present time”.
