Oireachtas members urged to support CUA ambitions

Almost 30 Oireachtas members from Connacht and Ulster attended a briefing held by the Connacht-Ulster Alliance in Dublin this week (Wednesday 19 September) about its ambitions to achieve designation as a Technological University.

The Connacht-Ulster Alliance - which is made up of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), Letterkenny IT and IT Sligo - was officially launched by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny in July.

Achieving re-designation as a Technological University will ensure that the region maintains a high standard of education provision within a soon-to-be restructured national higher education landscape. It will also provide stimulus for economic and social growth, the TDs and Senators were told at the briefing.

A decision will soon be taken by the Higher Education Authority and Government about which Institutes of Technology can go forward to work towards Technological University re-designation. Provision for the establishment of a small number of Technological Universities is provided in the Government's National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030.