My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to HEA designated higher education institutions.
The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions via the recurrent funding model. Top sliced, ring fenced funding for specific strategic or important purposes is a component of the funding model.
Annually a top slice consultation process is undertaken between the HEA, the department and sector representatives via the sectoral Top-Slice Working Group
In this regard 'Strategic System Top Slices' are agreed between the HEA and the sector for specific sectoral strategic purposes, for example the Irish Survey of Student Engagement.
The ‘DFHERIS Directed Top-slices’ refer to top-sliced funding from the annual recurrent grant which are agreed as part of the annual budgetary process with the Department, for example the Technological University Transformation Fund.