University College Cork (UCC) and Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) are to receive a combined total of over €5 million in funding with the announcement of additional funds aimed to give students and staff the best chance to get back on campus next year.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD has announced an additional allocation of €15 million for higher education institutions across Ireland.

The announcement brings the minor works capital allocation for this academic year to the highest it has been in a decade, with €25 million announced earlier in the year.

UCC will receive a total of €1,135,000 from the additional €15 million while CIT will see €779,000 in funding.

This brings UCC’s total allocation to €3,038,000 from the €40 million and CIT’s to €2,071,000.

Speaking on the announcement, Minister Simon Harris said that the funding aims to help students and staff get back on campus.

“The semester has been mainly online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic but we are looking to the new year and how we can give our students and staff the best chance of being back on campus as much as is safely possible,” he said.

“This additional funding will help our colleges invest in additional works to help protect students and staff as we continue to fight this pandemic. It will also support institutions in upgrading their campuses and equipment for the long term.”

 “I want to thank the higher education institutions and students for all they have done. The beginning to their academic year has been difficult to say the least but I hope this additional funding will help with planning and delivering a more positive experience in 2021 and beyond.” 

The announcement brings the total Devolved Capital Grant for the 2020-21 academic year to €40 million.