Waterford IT approves application for technological university status

Waterford IT

Katherine Donnelly, Education Editor

April 27 2021 01:45 PM

A technological university in the south east took a step closer today as the governing body of Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) approved the application for designation as a new-style higher education institution.

The proposed technological university (TU) will involve a merger between Waterford IT and IT Carlow, whose governing body is expected to give the go-ahead to the application when it meets on Thursday.

The project has been hit by a series of delays and setbacks, most recently a vote by Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) members in Waterford IT to reject terms for the proposed amalgamation with IT Carlow.

The union vote will not delay the next step and, following Thursday’s meeting of the IT Carlow authority, the formal application for technological university status for the merged institutions is expected to be lodged on Friday.

That will trigger a review by a panel of international experts to ensure the application meets the necessary requirements, followed by a report to Higher Education Minister Simon Harris for final approval.

The expectation is that a technological university will be established in the south east on January 1 2022, with campuses in Waterford, Carlow and Wexford.

The project involves a bigger footprint for Waterford IT as well as a purpose- built campus on a new site in Wexford.

Plans for two other technological universities are also at advanced stage, one in the west/ north west, involving Galway- Mayo IT, Letterkenny IT and IT Sligo and another in the midlands/midwest involving Athlone IT and Limerick IT.

In a statement today, Waterford IT described the governing authority’s decision as ”an exciting step towards the delivery of the technological university”.

It added: “We know that there is still more to do before we succeed in our goal and the institute is committed to continuing the robust engagement process to deliver the university this region has long awaited.”

Technological universities are a recent development on the higher education landscape and involve, in all cases, mergers of institutes of technology. The first TU opened in Dublin followed earlier this year by Munster Technological University, with campuses in Cork and Tralee