Minister Lawless invites applications for €65.8 million Targeted Enhancement Fund
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From: Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science
- Published on: 4 June 2025
- Last updated on: 4 June 2025
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless, today announced the launch of a Higher Education Authority (HEA) call for applications for a Targeted Enhancement Fund (TEF) for the technological sector and publicly funded specialist colleges.
The TEF, which will be worth up to €65.8 million and provide funding over a 36-month period, will provide targeted support for initiatives that are critical to the strategic development of eligible higher education institutions (HEIs).
Minister Lawless said:
"This investment of almost €66 million in our Technological Universities, Institutes of Technology and specialist colleges underpins one of my strategic objectives for my department - to act as an economic enabler by investing in people, in research, and in regional capacity.
"Through this scheme I am providing targeted support for initiatives critical to the strategic development of these institutions. This is about ensuring that students can learn, live and work in their region and that our higher education institutions are equipped to drive future growth, inclusion, and competitiveness. It will enable important enterprise engagement, enhance performance and develop research capacity in specialist colleges to ensure that regional development is balanced and future focused.
"Building on the momentum of previous funding streams, the TEF is an investment in our national ambition to further strengthen our smart, skilled knowledge economy."
The objectives of the fund are to:
- provide targeted support for initiatives that are critical to the strategic development of HEIs in the technological sector and specialist colleges
- contribute towards enhancement initiatives that will strengthen the performance of established TUs, Institutes of Technology, and specialist colleges
- provide support for eligible HEIs to determine or consolidate their position in the higher education landscape
- facilitate the development and/or continuation of initiatives that further national policy and priorities in the technological sector and in specialist colleges
- support the implementation of the recommendations set out in the TURN report and OECD review of Technological University academic career paths, contracts and organisation in Ireland
Dr Alan Wall, CEO of the Higher Education Authority, welcomed the launch of the TEF:
"This funding will support institutions to achieve their strategic ambitions, contributing to the growth and success of our Technological Universities and enhancing the initiatives underway in institutes of technology and specialist colleges.
"The TEF will provide targeted support for a range of activities that are aligned with institutions’ strategic plans and appropriate to the context and stage of development of eligible institutions.
"A number of strategic themes have been identified as relevant to the TEF on the basis of our engagement with HEIs via the 2024 Strategy and Performance Dialogue process and reporting on established development funds. Strategic themes of the TEF allow for investment in project management capability, systems and digital infrastructure, staff development, student outcomes and experience, engagement, climate and sustainability, and system coherence and consolidation. In the case of specialist colleges, the TEF also makes provision for research capacity building activities.
"Investment in these areas will enhance the capabilities of institutions and further demonstrate their economic, social, and educational impact in regions across Ireland."
The TEF builds on significant investment in landscape reform and development through targeted funding schemes since 2017. Investment has included Landscape Funding, the Technological University Transformation Fund (TUTF), the Technological Sector Advancement Fund (TSAF), 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 fund is open to Technological Universities (TUs), Institutes of Technology (IoTs), and publicly funded specialist colleges.
The TEF will contribute towards the cost of maintaining or initiating enhancement activities that are central to an institution delivering on its mission and strategic plan. Related to this, the TEF makes provision for an institution to mainstream selected, strategic initiatives that have been financed by other time bound funding streams, including its predecessor, the Technological Sector Advancement Fund (TSAF), Performance Funding, and the Human Capital Initiative. The TEF will also make provision for activities relating to further landscape reform.
Eligible institutions are invited to apply for funding by 17:00 on 21 August 2025, with successful projects expected to commence on 1 January 2026.
Notes
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is responsible for the design and management of the TEF.
Institutions eligible to apply are: Atlantic Technological University; Munster Technological University; Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest; South East Technological University; Technological University Dublin; Dundalk Institute of Technology; Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology; Mary Immaculate College; National College of Art and Design.
The TEF call document and application form can be downloaded from the HEA website. Queries regarding the fund will be managed through an FAQ process. Questions should be directed to systemperformance@hea.ie and answers will be published on the HEA’s TEF webpage.