Dublin to Set Up a Brand New Technological University
The First Irish Technological University
Plans for the first Irish technological university was announced on 17th July 2018 by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, TD, along with the Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton, TD; Minister for Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform Paschal Donohoe, TD; and Minister for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD. The new university will be located in Grangegorman and is a result of the merger between Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), IT Blanchardstown and IT Tallaght, who submitted a joint application for the status of ‘technological university.’ The new university will add to the diversity of Dublin’s university institutions and intends to increase collaboration between academia and technological businesses.
Competing with Global University Leaders
This could significantly improve Dublin’s ability to compete with global university leaders. If Ireland is to reach the level of technology leaders in the United States, it must engage in resources of scale. Members of the Technological University Dublin Alliance stated that this new venture marks the beginning of a new era of higher education in the country. As such, the three institutes have had many years of laying the foundation for an institution like this in Dublin.
The Irish Universities Association
Recently, the Irish Universities Association blamed funding cuts as the reason for Irish universities failing to make it into the top 100 of the 2019 QS World University Rankings. However, this development shows that technological ventures in Ireland do have support. Researchers should aim to make the most of this new institution and work with companies to commercialise their technological innovations.
