Funding of universities set to be overhauled, says Minister

The funding of Irish universities is set to be overhauled significantly, Minister for Higher Education James Lawless is set to say on Friday.

Amid warnings that Irish universities are teetering on a “cliff edge” due to chronic underfunding, the Kildare North TD will deliver a speech to an informal meeting of EU education ministers.

Lawless will tell the meeting that the operating environment for universities has “changed considerably” since the last funding and reform plan for the sector was undertaken in 2022, before the advent of artificial intelligence and accelerating geopolitical instability.

“It is clear to me that the figures and assumptions underpinning our approach to university funding need to be revisited to reflect the realities facing institutions today,” he will say, arguing that the time is right to “take a fresh look at the funding requirements of our university sector”.