€900k funding announced for CIT

CIT is to receive €900,000 in Government funding, it was announced yesterday.

The investment is being made under Project Ireland 2040 for the current academic year and the money will be used on small-scale and necessary infrastructure works and improvements.

It’s part of a €10 million fund for the country’s 11 institutes of technology and has been allocated on the basis of enrolments.

The funds range from €590,000 for colleges like Letterkenny IT, which has a lower enrolment number, up to more than €2 million for TU Dublin with almost nine times as many students.

The funding was announced on Wednesday by Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh and the Minister of State for Higher Education Mary Mitchell O’Connor.

Minister McHugh said: “Institutes of technologies can tap into this funding for refurb jobs, to upgrade IT, to make health and safety improvements and make buildings more energy efficient.”

Minister Mitchell O’Connor said: “Previous rounds of this scheme have had a significant positive impact on campus development. For example, institutions have been supported to upgrade their laboratories, to replace obsolete ICT equipment, to install energy efficient lighting, and to repurpose existing spaces in line with the needs of students and staff.”