Government Signs Into Existence First Technological University
It was today confirmed that the application from three Dublin Institutes of Technology to be allowed merge and create Ireland's first technological university had been given the go-ahead. The new technological university, comprised of Dublin Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown and Institute of Technology Tallaght, will be known as Technological University Dublin.
These three existing ITs would be individually dissolved and reformed under the collective name of TUDublin and would therefore be awarded university status. It will be sometime in January 2019, with a date to be decided after a draft order is passed by the Oireachtas, before the TUDublin is officially established and the three ITs are dissolved. It remains to be seen how the distribution of courses will be affected when TUDublin officially comes into effect, as all three of these ITs campuses will become the campuses of TUDublin.
Plans to create Technological Universities in Ireland have been underway for several years and have suffered several setbacks and delays in part due to necessary studies assessing their viability and the best way to go about establishing them.
Though it will now be granted university status the newly created TUDublin will remain true to the ethos that Institutes of Technology were founded on. It will be the only university in the country offering courses from Level 6 through to Level 10, from apprenticeships to doctorates. It will also, unsurprisingly given its name, retain and encourage a technical and entrepreneurial focus that was the hallmark of ITs.
Though TUDublin will be the first Technological University to be established in Ireland there are plans to create two more. One will be known as the Munster Technological University and will be comprised of what was IT Tralee and Cork IT, the other will be comprised of GMIT, Letterkenny IT and IT Sligo. There are currently no dates set for when these will be similarly granted official status.
I am delighted to announce my decision to grant TU4Dublin’s application for designation as Ireland’s first technological university @campaignforleo @mitchelloconnor @ditofficial @itbdublin @ittallaght @Paschald @KZapponeTD
— Richard Bruton (@RichardbrutonTD) July 17, 2018
The full press release detailing the announcement can be read here.