Find information on how to make a Protected Disclosure under the external procedures in place in the HEA.
The Technological Sector Advancement Fund is a €50 million fund providing targeted support for initiatives that are critical to the strategic development of the technological sector.
On 20 July 2023 the Minister for Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, announced the launch of the Technological Sector Advancement Fund (TSAF). This €50 million fund provides targeted support for initiatives that are critical to the strategic development of the technological sector. TSAF makes a contribution towards the costs of maintaining or initiating new activities that are central to an institution delivering on its mission and strategic plan. In this regard, a key objective of TSAF is to support institutions to mainstream activities that have been supported by previous funding streams dedicated to the transformation of the technological sector. TSAF also makes provision for initiatives relating to the final stages of the current set of higher education landscape reforms. The TSAF is financed by the Government of Ireland and managed by the Higher Education Authority.
Key Objectives of the TSAF:
The fund builds on the success of the technological sector in Ireland. Its primary objectives are to ensure:
- Established TUs will be enabled in terms of sustainability and self-sufficiency.
- Institutions are supported to reach their stated objectives in regard to further landscape reform and the ambitions of the Technological Universities Act 2018.
- A focus on quality, excellence, and capacity building, within and across the technological sector.
- Implementation of the recommendations set out in the TURN report and OECD Review of technological university academic career paths, contracts and organisation in Ireland.
TSAF funding and eligibility:
The TSAF made available €50 million in funding to the Irish technological sector over a 30-month period, running from 1 January 2024 until 30 June 2026. The following institutions were eligible to apply for funding under the TSAF:
- Atlantic Technological University
- Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology
- Dundalk Institute of Technology
- Munster Technological University
- South East Technological University
- Technological University Dublin
- Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest
TSAF call documentation:
The scope of the scheme, eligible costs, application and assessment process, and post award monitoring and reporting processes are set out in the call documentation.