Ministry for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has announced the signing of the contracts for the commencement of construction of five new buildings across multiple campuses in Ireland.

The second phase of the Higher Education PPP Programme includes the following new buildings:

• ATU Galway Campus – STEM Building:
  It will include undergraduate and postgraduate science labs, general teaching areas, learning resource rooms, administrative offices, and support spaces. Combined with repurposed areas elsewhere on campus, this project will expand ATU Galway’s student capacity by approximately 500.

• ATU Letterkenny Campus – Education Building:
  At the Letterkenny campus, a Library, IT, and Education facility is proposed. It will feature a library, learning resource areas, ICT labs, specialised and general teaching spaces, administration facilities, and ancillary rooms. Alongside the reuse of other spaces on campus, this development will allow for around 600 additional students.

• SETU Waterford Campus – Engineering, Architecture, Computing & General Teaching Building:
  It includes a building for Engineering, Architecture, Computing, and general education. It will house undergraduate and postgraduate labs, teaching areas (both general and specialised), study resources, administrative offices, and supporting spaces. With space reallocation elsewhere, the expansion will accommodate about 1,000 more students at SETU Waterford.

• SETU Carlow Campus – Science & Health Building:
  It will include labs for undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, general teaching areas, study spaces, administration, and support facilities. The building will contribute to an increase of around 500 student places.

• TUS Limerick Campus – Applied Science & IT Building:
  This new structure at the Technological University of the Shannon’s Limerick campus will focus on applied science and information technology. It will contain labs, teaching rooms, learning resources, administration, and ancillary space. Together with restructured space across the campus, it will support an increase of about 700 students.

The estimated construction cost for the five buildings is around EUR 380 million (US$447 million), excluding VAT. This marks the second phase of the Higher Education Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme. The first phase included developments at Technological University Dublin (TUD) campuses in Tallaght and Blanchardstown, Munster Technological University (MTU) campuses in Cork and Kerry, the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Athlone campus, and the Institute of Art, Design and Technology (IADT) in Dún Laoghaire. The contract for the first phase was signed in December 2022. When all eleven buildings are completed, they will comprise circa 72,800m2 of additional building space at the campuses and will cater for circa 8,500 student places. In addition, the provision of these buildings will free up space in existing buildings and allow for new student places. 

The contract has been awarded to the Invesis Consortium comprising Invesis Coöperatie U.A. (equity provider), BAM Building Ltd (construction contractor) and BAM FM Ireland Ltd (facilities management). The project will be funded by the European Investment Bank, Allied Irish Bank, Bank of Ireland and Rabobank. The contract type is design, build, finance and maintain. The Invesis Consortium will construct the buildings using private finance and will then operate and maintain the buildings for 25 years. Payment by the department will be by way of a monthly unitary charge over the 25-year operational period, commencing once construction has been completed.