The Connacht Ulster Alliance (CUA) of GMIT, LYIT and IT Sligo have submitted a formal application for designation as a Technological University (TU).
Marking the culmination of several years’ work, the submission is another step closer to establishing a new university for The West and North-West region. The proposed TU will be one of the largest multi-campus universities across the island of Ireland.
The new TU will bring together almost 600 academic programmes to a current CUA student population of 20,000 students across eight campuses. In addition to undergraduate and postgraduate courses, it will offer upskilling and employee education and support enterprises, especially SMEs, through collaborative research and enabling technology transfer. It will also build economic, cultural and social prosperity across a unique geographical region which has dispersed rural population and significant urban centres.
Minister for Further & Higher Education, Simon Harris TD, said: “This is an important day for the West and North West and for higher education generally with the submission of the fifth application for Technological University designation.
“TUs are step-change institutions in the higher education landscape. They are embedded in their regions with strong links to local enterprise, business and community stakeholders and which provide research-informed and applied to teach and learning excellence in pursuit of more balanced regional engagement and development through expanded higher education access and pathways and lifelong learning progression.
“Today, three institutions have come together to make this application and in it the case for a new TU with campuses encompassing Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal. Such a TU would have the potential to further drive the development of higher education and regional growth in the West and North West with strong cross-border links.
“I will carefully consider the application and the requisite reports and views on it such as are required under the Act to be furnished to me without prejudice and in accordance with the relevant legislative requirements and timeframes”.
In a statement the CUA Presidents, Dr Orla Flynn, Mr Paul Hannigan and Dr Brendan McCormack, said: “The establishment of this new TU is of critical importance to the region’s future prosperity, offering academic depth to attract, educate, nurture and retain talent in the West, North-West and cross-border region. The three institutes have been and will continue as a merged TU to be immensely valuable to the regional economy and the new university will be a leader in the provision of apprenticeship, part-time, full-time, campus- and work-based modes of learning.”
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