Technological Universities in Ireland

A Technological University is a designation of a type of third-level institution in Ireland. The potential for such universities was established through legislation in 2018.^[1] Since then, various groups of institutes of technology began a merger process to create five technological universities:

• Technological University Dublin was established in January 2019 as the result of a merger of the three Institutes of Technology in the County Dublin area.^[2][3] Its foundation was announced in July 2018.^[2]
• Munster Technological University was established in January 2021 following the merger of IT Tralee and Cork IT.^[4][5] A formal application for the TU for the south west, comprising Cork IT and IT Tralee, was lodged in February 2019,^[6] but it was initially unsuccessful.^[7] A second, successful, application was made in 2020.^[8]
• The Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest^[9] was formed from a merger of Athlone IT and Limerick IT. It was announced in October 2019 forming a TU for the mid-west and midlands regions, centred on the River Shannon.^[10][11] Athlone IT had investigated the possibility of becoming a university in its own right.^[12] A formal application for TU status was made by the consortium in November 2020, with approval granted in May 2021.^[13][14] It opened in October 2021, with campuses distributed amongst Limerick City, Athlone, Clonmel, Ennis, and Thurles.^[15]
• Atlantic Technological University was formed following the merger of Galway-Mayo IT (GMIT) and IT Sligo, both in Connacht in the west of Ireland, with Letterkenny IT (LYIT), located in the north of Ireland.^[16][17] The Connacht-Ulster Alliance (CUA) submitted a formal application to the Department of Further and Higher Education in May 2021.^[18] Formal approval was granted by Simon Harris, Minister for Further and Higher Education, in October 2021,^[19] with a launch date in early 2022.
• South East Technological University is the merger of IT Carlow and Waterford IT.^[20][21] A vision document was published in 2015, and a memorandum of understanding was signed in 2017.^[22] At the launch of TU Dublin in July 2018, the Taoiseach expressed regret that this TUSE bid had not progressed sufficiently following the "Technological Universities Act 2018".^[2][23] Staff of IT Carlow, rejected the current plan for the TU in June 2019.^[24] A formal application was made in May 2021,^[25][26] and it was formally established in May 2022.^[27]

In May 2021^[update], Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) announced plans to join an existing TU.^[28] It had previously investigated the possibility of becoming a TU in its own right.^[29] By May 2022^[update], DkIT was looking at a merger with an existing TU.^[30][31]