Third-level colleges are to share an additional €40m in the upcoming academic year for a range of projects, including making campuses greener and buying laptops for disadvantaged students.
nd, for the first time, this capital grant funding is being extended to the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM) and the Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies (DIAS).
Further and Higher Education Minister Simon Harris said the third level sector faced significant challenges in responding to climate objectives and the funding would assist with making energy upgrades.
He said it could also be used for necessary works to make campuses accessible for people with disabilities and to help students access laptops or other ICT requirements.
The funding may also cover health and safety works, and other building upgrades.
The funding, in the form of a devolved capital grant, is part of ongoing investment in the higher education sector under the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 plan.
Colleges have flexibility to decide how to spend their allocations. Funding will be disbursed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to universities, technological universities, institutes of technology and smaller colleges with the exception of RIAM and DIAS, which will be funded directly by the Department of Further and Higher Education.