Book Offer
This will close in 10 seconds
The Irish Universities Association (IUA) has used its Pre‑Budget 2027 Submission to request €475 million in public capital spending to “decarbonise” Ireland’s seven universities.
The submission argues that universities cannot meet national climate targets without a State‑funded overhaul of their estates, much of which the IUA says is outdated, energy‑inefficient, and incompatible with Ireland’s 2030 and 2050 climate obligations.
The IUA says that Ireland’s progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions remains “significantly off the trajectory required to meet its legally binding national and EU climate commitments, with the Environmental Protection Agency projecting that current policies will deliver barely half of the emissions reductions required by 2030.”
The submission also links the decarbonisation plan to wider funding pressures, noting that the higher‑education system remains €133.5 million short of the annual structural deficit identified by Government in 2022.
It points to the National Training Fund, which now holds a surplus approaching €2 billion, as a potential source of capital for the climate programme, arguing that unlocking part of that fund would allow universities to deliver “fully sustainable campuses” while reducing long‑term energy costs.
The scale of the IUA’s request was also raised in a recent parliamentary question from Cork North-Central Labour TD Eoghan Kenny, who asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, James Lawless if he was aware of the request from the Irish Universities Association for €250 million over the next five years in capital spending to upgrade digital infrastructure in the seven universities, and €475 million over four years in capital spending to decarbonise universities and create “fully sustainable campuses.”
In his response to Deputy Kenny, Minister Lawless said that although he had “taken receipt of the IUA’s pre-budget submission,” and that he “understands the challenges the sector faces in terms of decarbonisation, digitalisation, globalisation and demographics,” there are a number of competing demands on the system.”
This will close in 10 seconds