Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 November 2023
595. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science whether he is aware that there is no "Northern Ireland" residency option on the application Erasmus+ form and that this is deterring northern applicants from applying despite £1.7 million being allocated for their applications. [50980/23]
View answer596. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science what advice and guidance has been given to Higher Education institutions in the north on Erasmus+ applications; and how they can be processed for students from the north of Ireland. [50981/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 595 and 596 together.
Since January of this year, officials from my Department have been working closely with the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Northern Ireland to agree the conditions for the Irish Government's initiative to fund mobility for their students to avail of mobilities.
While the initial approach was to develop a scheme within the Erasmus programme on the basis of temporary registration of Northern Ireland students in Irish HEIs, this was not possible as up to 20% of NI mobilities take place in Ireland. Erasmus mobilities must take place in country other than the country in which students are registered.
Furthermore, the introduction of the Turing Scheme also provided a basis to NI HEIs to continue to support student mobilities. However, both Queens University Belfast (QUB) and Ulster University (UU) were only awarded 30% and 34% of the amount they sought, while St Mary's University College did not secure any funding.
More than €2 million has been allocated by my Department to support higher education students in Northern Ireland to avail of mobilities and internships across Europe. This funding will bolster the financial capacity of the institutions to meet the mobility needs of their students. QUB and UU have each been allocated €1 million each, while St Mary’s University College was allocated €70k. Further allocations will be finalised with Stranmillis College and North-West Regional College in the next few weeks.
Institutions have been requested to prioritise student mobilities to Ireland and EU Member States and wider Europe (excluding the UK), with the balance for rest of the world.
While my Department will closely monitor the implementation of this initiative, I am confident that this approach will enable the maximum number of NI students to continue to enjoy the mobility opportunities which were available prior to the Brexit.
