On 20 July I launched the new €50 million fund Technological Sector Advancement Fund (TSAF) as the successor to previous HE Landscape and Transformation Funds and in addition to the EU-funded National Recovery and Resilience Plan N-TUTORR project, and the TU Research and Innovation Supporting Enterprise scheme (TU RISE), which is co-financed by the Government of Ireland and the European Union. The aim of the TSAF is to advance the strategic development of the technological sector.
The new fund, will be managed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and will make a contribution towards the costs of maintaining or initiating new activities that are central to relevant institutions in the sector delivering on their mission and strategic plans. A key objective of TSAF is to support institutions to mainstream activities commenced under previous funding streams dedicated to the transformation of the technological sector. TSAF will also make provision for initiatives relating to further landscape reform.
Details of the fund and the call for proposals are available on the HEA website with the closing date for applications being 19 October. The HEA will conduct appraisal and notification processes in Q4 2023 with a view to grants being made in December with a formal commencement date of 1 January 2024. The TSAF will run until the end of June 2026.
Eligible Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) comprise the five Technological Universities along with Dundalk Institute of Technology and Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology. These HEIs may apply for a grant contribution towards the costs of maintaining and mainstreaming existing activities or to initiate new activities that are of strategic importance to the success of the institution. The fund will also make provision for initiatives relating to further landscape reform.
It is important to note that the higher education and research system is successful by virtue of its diversity, within and across regions. Each eligible HEI is distinctive by nature of strategy, location, scale, mission and stage of development. TSAF funding will be allocated by the HEA in a managed fashion in response to requests under the call for funding proposals from eligible HEIs taking account of these factors and based on stated and evidenced institutional needs.
In addition, eligible HEIs may also make a combined application in relation to funding at a sectoral level and such applications are being actively encouraged. Participation in such a sectoral application for funding does not preclude an institution from applying for institutional-level funding across categories including change management and integration, people and culture, data and systems, engagement, students and system coherence, reform and consolidation.
