Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 February 2021
656. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if an application for the Connacht-Ulster Alliance of GMIT, LYIT and IT Sligo has been submitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9537/21]
View answerA joint application under Section 29 of the Technological Universities Act 2019 has not been received to date from the Institutes of Technology comprising the Connacht Ulster Alliance TU development consortium. The Department understands that significant progress has been made in relation to the finalisation of an application, including intensive discussions with staff and students of the respective Institutes and wider stakeholders and that in this context an application is in view for submission in Quarter 1 of 2021. However, ultimately the finalisation and submission of an application remains a matter for the Institutes themselves. To date this consortium has received a total of Euros 11.6 million in Exchequer funding to advance its proposals, of which Euros 5.9 million was allocated under the first tranche of the Transformation Fund in October 2020.
