The establishment of technological universities (TUs) is an important part of the Government’s higher education and regional development policy as underscored in the Programme for Government 2020.
The new Munster Technological University (MTU) will be established on 1 January 2021 and become the second technological university in the State.
Last year, the Department of Education and Skills established a high-level working group entitled the TU research network (TURN). This group, which included the presidents of TU Dublin and of those Institutes of Technology involved in TU development, the Higher Education Authority, the Technological Higher Education Association, and the Department, produced a seminal report in October 2019. This report sets out in detail the blueprint for successful TU development in this country. It describes the rationale, benefits and key requirements of this new type of higher education institution in Ireland. The report is entitled "Connectedness and Collaboration through Connectivity".
TUs are closely connected with their regions, stakeholders, students and staff. They are collaborative partners with enterprise, research communities, local and national government, and other education providers at home and abroad. Their connectivity is reflective of the modern, globalised, digitally connected world in which students, staff and stakeholders live, work and study.
The TURN report makes a series of 12 recommendations for outcomes that will provide a solid foundation for the development and progression of TUs, centring on the thematic areas of investment in integrated multi-campus digital infrastructure, research capacity-building, and realignment of the policy framework and funding for TUs. The focus is now on the implementation of these recommendations, including the development of academic career structures, by the sectoral stakeholders.
Arising directly from the TURN report, budget 2020 introduced a new TU transformation fund of €90 million going out to 2023. This represents a trebling of annual funding and will see TU-oriented funding increase to over €120 million by 2023. The fund will assist in key investment areas including digital infrastructure, research capacity building, change management, systems integration, governance and project management structures and information sharing to establish TUs and assist them to deliver key strategic social and economic development objectives and to respond to specific diverse regional and sectoral impacts such as Brexit. On 7 October I announced that the Higher Education Authority, which is overseeing and administering the Fund subject to Department policy requirements, was making a total of €34.3 million in funding allocations. The funds will be disbursed in 2 tranches in Quarter 4 this year and Quarter 1 next year. MTU was allocated €8.25 million under this call.
Although they will pursue their own individual missions, the common threads that will run through all TUs are identified in the TURN 2019 report –– higher education access, provision of high quality research-led teaching and learning excellence across all levels of the National Framework of Qualifications, skills and employment retention and creation, collaboration with other education institutions in further and higher education, regionally, nationally and internationally and the creation of a welcoming and supportive personal developmental environment which will allow all learners and students to fulfil their individual and societal potential.
The Department continues to work with TUs, TU development consortia and with relevant Government Departments and agencies on the implementation of relevant TURN report recommendations.
The Department is encouraging ownership by the sector of the TU development process such as can facilitate this new type of higher education institution to assist the delivery of relevant national and regional strategic priorities are set out, for example, in Project Ireland 2040, the National Development Plan, Future Jobs Ireland, Innovation and Horizon 2020.
As such, it remains a matter for MTU under its first incoming president and governing body to decide on the most appropriate way in its own particular circumstances in which it can assist in the delivery of skills and employment retention and creation regionally in consultation and collaboration with its internal and external stakeholders.
However, I do know from meeting with Regional Skills Forums throughout the country that there is a real excitement among the business community, educators and citizens in the regions about the difference TUs are making and will make to a number of key regional priorities including higher education access, research capacity building, the skills agenda and socio-economic progression.
Business owners, employers, students, education providers will be able to sit down together with the TUs and plan the skills needed for the regions as appropriate. TUs will also transform the decisions that younger people can make. If they can stay in their own community and access a university education, they are more likely to maintain their roots in that community and to contribute to the broader societal good.
