Minister O

Life

Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) has announced a major refurbishment project under the Campus 2030 Masterplan.

The Masterplan, launched by Minister of State, Department of Environment, Community and Local Government with special responsibility for Housing and Planning Jan O’Sullivan (pictured) comes in response to increased demand for LIT courses in Engineering, Art and Design, and Humanities.

The investment will see an additional 50,000sq metres of facilities across four campuses in Limerick and Tipperary. The final cost of the project is expected to be €200 million which will be raised by public/private partnerships.

Costing €20 million, Phase One of the programme will commence next year and comprise of the development of the new Irish Fashion Incubator enterprise centre; the reinvention of an existing building; refurbishment of existing campuses and development of sports facilities on multiple sites.

Other key elements of the project include student villages, a transport system and new civic spaces on all campuses.

LIT President Dr Maria Hinfelaar said: "This is not just a milestone moment for our Institute but our city and region as we truly believe that this will be a catalyst in the transformation of Limerick and the wider region.

"It’s a milestone for us as we are embarking on an unprecedented level of expansion. It will bring LIT to a new level, by not just dealing with existing capacity issues but facilitating increased demand for places on our undergraduate and post-graduate courses… Satisfying student demand for our courses so that the quality of our infrastructure will match the quality of our teaching, our applied research and our enterprise supports, is the cornerstone objective of this Masterplan."

Minister O’Sullivan said: "The vision of this Masterplan extends beyond the classroom or the lecture hall. The Masterplan builds on LIT’s close connections with communities throughout the region, and especially in Limerick. LIT sees itself as being a centre for community activity and active learning in the years to come and I welcome that commitment."

TechCentral Reporters

Read More: Education