IUA Pre-Budget 2027 Submission - "Time to invest in Ireland's future"
Government agreed in 2022 that the sector was underfunded by over €300m annually. Four years on, despite massive increases in spending elsewhere, the gap is still substantial - €133.5m of the original annual deficit remains compounded by emerging pressures on student numbers and pay awards. This is a time for sustained investment in education, at a time when geopolitical turmoil and technological change mean Ireland’s knowledge economy is more important than ever.
In its pre-budget submission, presented to Minister Lawless on 15 June and sent to the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, and Ministers Chambers and Burke, the IUA is therefore calling for:
- €190m annual increase in Core Grant funding to tackle under-investment and meet unavoidable cost increases in 2027;
- €250m over 5 years in capital spending to upgrade universities’ digital Infrastructure, to provide teaching and research at the cutting edge of AI;
- €475m over 4 years in capital spending to Decarbonisation our university estate and create fully sustainable campuses;
- The unlocking of the National Training Fund (now almost €2bn) to allow universities to provide the lifelong learning, upskilling and reskilling Ireland needs.
Paul Johnston, Director General of the IUA said:
“These are big numbers, but there are huge opportunities here, which we risk missing. Ireland is rightly proud to have one of the highest percentages of third level educated citizens in the world. This is a necessity, not a luxury. Ireland’s only natural resource is its people. And highly educated and skilled workers and citizens are at the core of Ireland’s future. Budget 2027 is thus the time for Government to invest in our leading universities, to allow them to meet their full potential in both teaching and research, to ensure that our graduates continue to meet the demands of a rapidly changing society...
“...Ireland’s universities are known worldwide for the quality of teaching, research, and that of our graduates. We cannot take this for granted, and we cannot maintain these standards without proper investment and support. Last year’s budget saw welcome capital investment in new infrastructure for research. But infrastructure (human as well as physical) is needed to keep our universities at the cutting edge of teaching and research, to the benefit of Irish society and the economy. The higher education sector has been waiting too long for this investment, and Budget 2027 is the right time to do so.”