The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is currently seeking expressions of interest from higher education institutions interested in building capacity in Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, and Veterinary. This process has been designed to respond swiftly to national skills needs, and EOIs are sought from institutions with capability to expand existing courses or create new courses in these areas from academic year 2024-25 or 2025-26. The closing date for submitting EOIs to the HEA is Friday 18th November at 4pm.
My Department does not place a quota on the number of places available on Veterinary Programmes in HEIs. The introduction of additional places will also be informed by engagement from the workforce planning areas within the Department of Agriculture and the Veterinary Council of Ireland, and relevant stakeholders in the sector.
The provision of Higher Education funding on an annual basis is part of overall expenditure management and budgetary policy for Government. In this regard funding to support building capacity in Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing and Veterinary will be matters for consideration as part of the annual Estimates processes over the coming years.
