Minister Harris announces allocation of €84 million to enhance Research and Innovation opportunities for TU sector
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From: Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
- Published on: 7 February 2024
- Last updated on: 28 May 2024
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris today announced €84 million to enhance research and innovation opportunities for the Technological University sector.
The programme will establish, equip, and staff regional research and innovation offices within TUs to enable deepened engagement with local and regional business, industry, and enterprise stakeholders.
It is also directed at developing researcher human capital in the technological sector, including staff development, recruitment, postgraduate training and supervision, networking, and collaborative knowledge-transfer and mobility schemes.
Minister Harris said:
"I am very pleased to announce, with the assistance of the European Regional Development Fund, the allocation of almost €84 million in funding to our five TUs as well as to Dundalk Institute of Technology and Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology.
“The Technological Universities are uniquely placed to link with local and regional enterprises, particularly Small and Medium Enterprises, to support them to turn innovation opportunities into real-world actuality.
“TUs are catalysts of regional development and support the skills and employment agendas regionally and nationally. This significant research-oriented funding will further enhance their capacity in this regard, ensuring that as a nation Ireland will be recognised as a world-leader in Research and Innovation for years to come.”
TU RISE is co-funded by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the Southern, Eastern & Midland and the Northern & Western Regional Programmes, 2021-27.
This follows the Minister’s announcement in December of funding of €15 million for research equipment across the higher education sector under the Higher Education Research Equipment Grant, some €3.7 million of which was allocated to the technological sector.
That funding will help higher education institutions purchase and upgrade world-leading research equipment that will serve the research, innovation and development needs of Irish researchers and enterprise collaborators over the next two years. It will support vital research activity across the sector while also building future capacity in R&D.
Chief Executive of the Higher Education Authority, which will manage the operations of the TU RISE scheme, Dr Alan Wall, said:
"Funding under TU RISE comes at a critical juncture in the development of the technological sector. This funding offers institutions the opportunity to enhance central research functions, which are critical to institutions strategically developing and achieving their research ambitions. Investment in staff and researchers in individual disciplines at Faculty level offers institutions an important opportunity to build expertise in research areas that will facilitate stronger engagement with regional enterprises aligned to Ireland’s Smart Specialisation Strategy and the Regional Enterprise Plans.
“The HEA conceived, designed and will manage this investment to support our TUs contribution to a bottom-up, place-based, dynamic process which brings together regional and national actors to link Ireland’s regional needs and potential with innovative policymaking."
Welcoming the Scheme, the Cathaoirleach of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, Cllr John Naughten said:
"The TU RISE Scheme is another positive instance of European Funding, delivered by the EU co-funded Regional Programmes to assist the technological sector in enhanced engagement with businesses and stakeholders in the regions. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop much needed researcher human capital in the regions, which is one of the most pressing challenges facing the Northern and Western region."
Cllr Terry Shannon, Cathaoirleach of the Southern Regional Assembly, which is ERDF Managing Authority for the Southern, Eastern & Midland Regional Programme said:
“The technological universities play a critical role in supporting regional development and innovation. TU RISE will complement wider investment, including significant investment under the ERDF Regional Programmes, in building research, development and innovation capacity in HEIs and in SMEs throughout the regions."
Notes
The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) aims to strengthen economic, social, and territorial cohesion in the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions. The objectives of the fund are to create a competitive and smarter Europe, a greener transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe, and a Europe closer to citizens by fostering sustainable and integrated development at a regional level.
Under the ERDF Regional Programmes 2021 – 2027 the Northern and Western Regional Assembly is the Managing Authority for the Northern and Western Regional Programme. The Southern Regional Assembly is the Managing Authority for the Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme. ERDF programmes are co-financed by the Government of Ireland and the European Union.
The ERDF Regional Programmes focus on three strategic outcomes: Strategic Priority 1: Smarter and More Competitive Regions, Strategic Priority 2: Low Carbon, Energy Efficient Regions and Strategic Priority 3: Sustainable and Integrated Urban Development.
Under the two Regional Programmes the Higher Education Authority will distribute a total of €83.68 million in TU-oriented research funding. Funding of €63.68 million is available under the Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme, and funding of €20 million is available under the Northern and Western Regional Programme. Institutional eligibility to apply for these programmes is detailed below:
Southern, Eastern and Midland Regional Programme (€63.68 million)
- Munster Technological University (Southern Region)
- Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest (Eastern and Midland Region, Southern Region)
- South East Technological University (Southern Region)
- Technological University Dublin (Eastern and Midland Region)
- Dundalk Institute of Technology (Eastern and Midland Region)
- Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology (Eastern and Midland Region)
Northern and Western Regional Programme (€20 million)
- Atlantic Technological University
This programme is entitled TU RISE (Research & Innovation Supporting Enterprise) and is delivered under Strategic Priority 1.
TU RISE involves the establishment, equipping and staffing of regional research and innovation offices within the regionally based TUs to enable more impactful engagement with local and regional business, industry and enterprise stakeholders.
The funding is further directed at developing researcher human capital in terms of staff development, recruitment, postgraduate training and supervision, networking, and collaborative knowledge-transfer and mobility schemes.
TU RISE will bolster regional entrepreneurship through investment in the TUs, leveraging the role of these higher education institutions as anchors for enterprise and for regional growth in line with the tenets of the 2019 TURN report and the ambitions of the TU national agenda. This investment in TUs will also support delivery of critical regional policy within the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies of Ireland’s three Regions.
The Higher Education Authority will manage and oversee the scheme
The TU RISE allocations are as set out in the tables below.
Southern Eastern and Midlands allocations under TU RISE
| Institution | TU RISE allocations |
| DkIT | €5,000,000.00 |
| IADT | €3,600,000.00 |
| MTU | €14,600,000.00 |
| SETU | €13,600,000.00 |
| TU Dublin | €13,600,000.00 |
| TUS | €12,000,000.00 |
Northern and Western allocation under TU RISE
| Institution | TU RISE allocation |
| ATU | €19,600,000.00 |
2% of the total fund for each programme is currently being withheld as contingency.