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Technological Universities

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 December 2020

Tuesday, 15 December 2020

Ceisteanna (53)

Colm Burke

Ceist:

53. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the status of the development of the Munster technological university; his views on the areas in which technological universities will fit in the further and higher education landscape in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43219/20]

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Freagraí ó Béal (8 píosaí cainte)

The Minister has dealt with many of the questions I have relating to the Munster technological university. He has already outlined to my colleague, Deputy Griffin, views on the areas in which technological universities will fit in the further and higher educational landscape, but will he make a statement on the matter?

I thank Deputy Burke, again not just for the question but for his very significant and sustained support for this project and his interest in the developments in higher education in the Cork area. We have had many conversations on this and I look forward to continuing to work with him on this and visiting Cork Institute of Technology, which will then be Munster technological university after an official commencement in January.

The creation of technological universities is an important part of the Government’s higher education and regional development policy, and both should be seen together. There should be as many opportunities as possible for people to access the full range of qualifications on the national qualifications framework, but the regional development policy should ensure that people in all parts of our country can access education and that jobs and investment come to those regions as well.

The establishment of Munster technological university on 1 January 2021, now just days away, will lead to us having a second technological university in the country following the establishment of the Technological University of Dublin on 1 January 2019. This shows the advances we are making in a new and exciting era in Irish higher education.

The establishment of technological universities creates institutions of sufficient size, capacity and critical mass to strengthen educational offerings greatly and attract greater investment for regions, as I have said. The benefits of becoming a successful technological university are significant in terms of increased reach, international recognition, research capacity building, foreign direct investment attraction, skills retention and creation, regional development, enhanced staff and student experience and opportunities, and socioeconomic progression.

I have no doubt technological universities will help retain talent in regions by strengthening the offer available to students who will be able to continue to masters and postgraduate level, including PhDs. A key mission is the building of research capacity and the promotion of innovation.

I commend Cork Institute of Technology, and I know the Deputy has worked closely with it, on its proud track record in the delivery of education in the Cork region. I thank the people involved for taking this very exciting step forward. I know when I had to sign the dissolution order for Cork Institute of Technology, it was a day for remembering all the good it brought but it was also an exciting day and a new dawn.

I thank the Minister. I also thank the people involved in ensuring this merger can go forward, and I very much welcome the work that the Minister and his Department have done over recent months and years in bringing this together.

It is important that we also organise and ensure we get out information to students in primary and secondary schools about the area of science and technology. We should look at getting this done in an organised way. The Cork region has nine of the top ten pharmaceutical companies and many of the companies leading technological advances. It is important that we continue to promote that expansion in the Cork and Kerry region. It is important to note where people from industry make a major contribution, including the chairperson of Cork Institute of Technology, Mr. Bob Savage.

The Deputy has mentioned the work done to bring these institutions together and I was thinking that my political epitaph might be that I brought Cork and Kerry together. It is significant and this is a very important step. I thank the people who have been working at this for years in Cork and Kerry. I thank my predecessor, former Deputy and Minister of State, Ms Mary Mitchell O'Connor, and the outgoing presidents of Cork Institute of Technology and the Institute of Technology, Tralee. I also thank Mr. Savage, who is chairperson of the governing authority, and everybody who has worked so hard to get to this point.

The Deputy's idea is absolutely right and we must start at the school level trying to excite people in science and research innovation. As I have said, there is a once in a generation opportunity to do that with so much focus on science and research in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. There are also questions around climate and digitisation as well.

A huge body of work has been done to get to this point, and the regional skills forum for the south west is key in identifying the skills needs. The Deputy mentioned the large cluster of pharmaceutical companies, and we must ensure we can provide graduates not just for now but also for the jobs of the future. I am looking forward to visiting Cork with the Deputy in January and engaging on these matters.

It is important to emphasise the size of this new technological university. It will have over 18,000 students and 140 different courses and obviously it will expand over time. It is important that we promote it as a university and get that message across to students in the Cork and Kerry region.

Deputy Ó Murchú wishes to ask a supplementary question.

My question relates to Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT, which will not come as a shock to the Minister. DkIT was slow to the game of attaining technological university status but we all accept the absolute necessity of same. I welcome the funding that has been provided to enable DkIT to make this journey and the fact that the HEA has put Dr. Ruaidhrí Neavyn in a prime position to ensure this happens. I ask the Minister to provide an update on his interactions with DkIT and the HEA and an update on the status of the process.

I echo Deputy Burke's comment that the establishment of MTU is the beginning of the journey. There will be expansion and additionality as the university grows.

Deputy Ó Murchú is entirely right. When one goes to the dance but does not pick a partner and everyone is partnered off, one is left alone. We have two institutes of technology, both of which are excellent, namely DkIT and IADT in Dún Laoghaire, that are currently not aligned with technological university development consortiums. I want to be very clear that they both have a major role to play. DkIT is in a crucial geographical location in the north east, as Deputy Ó Murchú well knows. Its close proximity to the Border is also key in the context of Brexit and all of the economic challenges that will bring. I am very eager to visit Dundalk and would be happy to do so in the new year. I have had a number of conversations with the president of DkIT and I am of the view that there are a number of opportunities for Dundalk but I do not wish to speculate on them publicly. There are a number of cross-border opportunities that would make sense and I would be interested in working with Deputy Ó Murchú on them. As he said, despite the fact that DkIT is not in any of the consortiums, we provided funding in October from the transformation fund to help it to explore its options.

Question No. 54 replied to with Written Answers.
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