Ibec welcomes country's third Technological University

Ibec, the group that represents Irish business, has welcomed the designation of the Technological University in the Mid-West and Midland regions.  

Commenting on the designation, Ibec Mid-West Regional President Catherine Duffy, said: “This is a hugely positive achievement and will provide more opportunities for individuals, enterprise and local communities. A technological university of scale, that is agile, responsive, engaged with the business community and, most of all, delivering high quality teaching and research will present significant opportunity and will play a key role in addressing the challenges and embracing the opportunities of the post-crisis recovery. 

“The Institutes of Technology are significant drivers of regional development. Businesses in both regions have a long history of strong collaboration and engagement with Limerick Institute of Technology and Athlone Institute of Technology. Drawing on the strengths of the existing institutions, a technological university, offers considerable scope to enhance even further how businesses and the institutes can work together on a range of issues to support the needs of business and increase investment, skills creation and research capacity.

“Business welcomes the designation of the Technological University. However, it will require significant public investment if it is to deliver on the needs of a technological university and reach the scale needed to attract top academic talent, compete in the challenging international research environment and drive regional development. The current review of the National Development Plan will be crucial in this regard. The economic and social pay-back will be extensive.”