Background

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is working with Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) to create additional capacity in the higher education system for training aligned to national skills shortages.

To date, this has resulted in the HEA establishing two processes; a 2022 process, focusing on Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine, which  sought proposals to create new programmes as well as expand existing provision, and a 2025 process, which sought to expand student training for nine health and social care professions aligned with disability services. These processes have, to date, resulted in the creation of circa 370 additional student places in the higher education system in 2025/26, with this number expected to grow to almost 800 by 2032/33. Places delivered through the 2022 and 2025 processes are over and above increases delivered by HEIs in response to COVID-19 or agreed directly with DFHERIS in the intervening years.

Government has articulated that significant further expansion of health and social care training provision is critical for the provision of disability health and education support services into the future. On this basis, the HEA is establishing a further process to identify opportunities to develop capacity in the higher education system for training for 13 professions aligned with Disability, Health and Education sector workforce needs.

2026 Call for EOI

The HEA is inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI), from public and private higher education institutions (HEIs), in developing new programmes or expanding the number of student places on existing programmes for the health and social care professions identified below.

Priority Health and Social Care Professionals (HSCP) for the Disability, Health and Educational Therapy Service

1. Speech and Language Therapist

2. Occupational Therapist

3. Educational Psychologist

Additional HSCP Professions supporting disability, health and education services

4. Dietitian

5. Social Worker

6. Social Care Worker

7. Clinical Psychologist

8. Physiotherapist

9. Radiographer

10. Medical Scientist

Other HSCP where significant pipeline development is required

11. Podiatrist

12. Radiation Therapist

13. Audiologist

This list of professions, and their categorisation, has been provided by members of the Interdepartmental Group, which was established with the support of the Cabinet Committee on Disabilities to expand HSCP professions in priority areas for the Health, Disability and Education sectors, and is informed by national and regional data in Health on workforce planning requirements.

EOI Templates

EOI should be submitted using the templates provided below. Institutions may submit more than one EOI, but a separate EOI Template and Budget Proposal Template should be provided for every new programme/expansion proposed. Further information, including guidance to support completion of the templates and conditions of application, is embedded in the templates.

EOI 2026 Template

EOI 2026 Budget Proposal Template

EOI templates should be submitted to the System Development and Performance Management unit of the HEA (systemperformance@hea.ie) by Wednesday, 27 May 2026.

EOI Review and Next Steps

The HEA, with the support of DFHERIS and Department of Health, will review EOI to identify institutions with potential to deliver additional student places in the specified timeframe. This initial EOI process may be followed by limited invitations to HEIs to submit fuller proposals. Options for expanding training capacity in health and social care professions arising from this process will be presented to Government for consideration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Queries relating to the EOI process may be submitted to systemperformance@hea.ie until 4pm on Monday, 25 May 2026. Where appropriate, queries and responses will be adapted and published as Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on the HEA website. Institutions are advised to review the FAQs prior to submission of an EOI.