Minister Simon Harris announces almost €500k in funding for Carlow's SETU

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD announced €4.5 million of funding will be used to support higher education institutions that have multiple campuses in remote regional locations, including Carlow's South East Technological University which has campuses in Carlow, Waterford and Wexford and will receive €460,000.

The new Distributed Campus Support Fund has been established to support higher education institutions (HEIs) with multi-campuses, primarily in the Technological University sector.

Speaking today, Minister Harris said 'This new funding strengthens and supports campuses dispersed in our regions.'

'This ensures that HEIs that have multiple campuses can boost and maximise the impact of their campuses in the regions.'

'Dispersed campuses often have higher costs associated with delivering education. This funding ensures that regional higher education campuses like those in Thurles or Killybegs are supported in recognition of the fact they are regionally dispersed.'

'With this extra investment we are guaranteeing that the same level and quality of education and service is being provided in regional campuses as anywhere else.'

'Crucially this new funding delivers more balanced regional development, a key Government objective, with high quality and state of the art campuses.'

'It shouldn’t be that all roads lead to the big city when it comes to education.'

'This new fund will be key to supporting our institutions and sustaining their dispersed campuses, helping them to deliver on their mandates to develop knowledge and skills, promote innovation and collaboration, and to foster social inclusion across the regions.'

The funding will be distributed to relevant HEIs, providing them with the flexibility to determine how best sustainability can be secured across their campuses, taking advantage of the strengths of individual campuses.

Dispersed campuses have unique circumstances and higher costs associated with the delivery of education. It is recognised that there are unavoidable additional fixed costs in operating such campuses.

These costs include: the cost of the delivery of core campus services across multiple sites, travel costs between campuses and unique demographic profiles that can result in smaller classes and lower staff student ratios than is the case in larger population centres.

The allocation of the €4.5m Distributed Campus Support Fund 

Atlantic Technological University will be allocated €2,660,000 of funding. Munster Technological University will receive €230,000, Technological University of the Shannon will be allocated €690,000, South East Technological University is set to receive €460,000, University of Galway €230,000 and Mary Immaculate College €230,000.