Higher Education Minister Simon Harris today announced tender for six building projects for the higher education sector under the Public-Private Partnership programme.
The projects will include buildings in Cork IT, IT Tralee, Technological University Dublin, Athlone IT and IADT. The planning application for IADT was initially refused, but a decision on an appeal of the refusal is expected next month.
The projects are part of Project Ireland 2040, and are the first of two bundles of building plans, which the government has announced.
The second bundle of building plans will go out to tender in the first quarter of next year, and will include projects in Waterford IT, Limerick IT, Letterkenny IT and Carlow IT.
In a press statement, Harris said: “This is a key milestone in what is a very ambitious programme of investment in the higher education sector. Such investment has never been more important.”
“The higher education sector, and within that our new Technological Universities and our Institutes of Technology”, he said, “have an essential role to play in driving recovery across Ireland’s regions and in preparing for the opportunities and challenges of a changing economy”.
“The new infrastructure to be delivered under this Programme will enhance the campus environment for students and staff, and support strengthened partnerships with industry. The buildings will have a strong focus on supporting practice-based learning, including laboratories, workshops and studios. They will also have significant flexibility to adapt to changing teaching and learning needs, and to support hybrid and remote learning”, Harris added.
In a press statement on the minister’s announcement, Chief Executive Officer of the Higher Education Authority Alan Wall said: “This investment is critical to increasing access to high quality higher education in state-of-the-art facilities. This additional infrastructure will ensure that we continue to produce graduates with the up-to-date skills demanded by our modern economy.”
“These eleven new buildings will address a diversity of skills areas”, he said. “They have strong focus on supporting regional development. New student places will be generated in critical STEM areas, but we are also responding to wider skills needs in the economy, with support for digital media, design provision and culinary arts, amongst other areas.”
“Many institutes are working towards the attainment of Technological University status. This new infrastructure will support them greatly in that aim. This will be transformative, not just for the institutional landscape, but also for staff and students and the regions these institutions serve.”
Overall, the projects are expected to allow for an additional 8,000 students to enrol in the third-level sector.
The projects will be built by private companies, which will then have the right to operate and maintain the buildings for 25 years. The government will also pay the companies a monthly “unitary charge” for the 25-year period.
