Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 October 2021
16. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of planned and allocated capital investment for the Carlow campus of the Technical University of the South-East; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49805/21]
View answerShould the application for Technological University designation be approved, the IT Carlow campus would become a campus of the Technological University of the South East.
Under the Higher Education Public Private Partnership - PPP - Programme, it is planned to deliver a Science and Health Building of more than 6,000 square metres on this campus. The building will include undergraduate and postgraduate science laboratories, general teaching space and learning resource space. In conjunction with decanted space elsewhere on campus, the new building is expected to increase the capacity of the institution by approximately 500 students.
The project is in Bundle 2 of the PPP Programme which is currently at procurement stage. Construction of this bundle is anticipated to commence in Q1 2023, with the IT Carlow Science and Health Building due to be completed in Q1 2025.
In addition to this PPP project, €440,000 in capital funding was approved earlier this year under the Higher Education Infrastructure Upgrade and Refurbishment Fund. This is for an upgrade of IT Carlow's primary electrical infrastructure on its main campus.
IT Carlow is also receiving a devolved capital grant of over €1.7 million this year to support small-scale building works, including health and safety works, access works, refurbishment and energy upgrades. This grant can also be used for equipment purchase and ICT investments.
In addition IT Carlow has been approved to acquire suitable lands in Wexford town to facilitate the development of a new campus there. The execution of these plans is a priority for me having regard to IT Carlow's geographic reach and the crucial regional dimension to our technological universities.
