Technology institutes to apply for university status

Applications to become Ireland’s first technological university could reach the Department of Education as early as the end of the year, writes Dick Ahlstrom for The Irish Times.

Legislation should be ready by that time to allow former institutes of technology to take on this new status, the Minister for Education and Skills said last week. Ruairí Quinn published the heads of bill for legislation that will allow for the creation under statute of a number of technological universities.

A new kind of university for Ireland, the institutions will be formed by existing institutes of technology joining to agree a complete amalgamation of formerly separate institutes and then making a bid for the new status. Existing campuses would be retained however, so the new universities would have multiple locations.
Full report on The Irish Times site