Educational projects get €6m funding in Munster
Over €6m from a fund totalling €23m has been awarded to seven educational projects in Munster.
In all, 22 projects are to receive awards from the Innovation and Transformation fund which was launched last year by the Department of Education and Skills.
The Irish Universities Association receives the largest award — over €2.9m, to work with the country’s eight universities on improving the digital skills of university lecturers.
The second largest award of over €2.8m has gone to Letterkenny Institute of Technology which is working with Galway Mayo Institute of Technology and Sligo Institute of technology on developing flexible learning in the West/North-West region.
Some of the third level institutions are partnering with organisations such as An Cosán, Family Carers Ireland, and the Disability Federation of Ireland to develop better ways of ensuring education is open to as many people as possible.
University College Cork has been awarded almost €1m to develop a range of transition modules to support students in making the best of themselves when they graduate.
Trinity College Dublin has been awarded €1.5m to develop student support services to address mental health issues. The funding commitment of €23m for the 22 proposals will be allocated on an annual basis until 2021.
Mary Mitchell O’Connor, minister of state for higher education, said the fund would support a range of projects focused on developing new pathways and methods of teaching to support the participation of students from a diverse range of backgrounds.
“They will help students to develop individually, address student retention and support the enhanced progression of students across higher education institutions,” she said.
