€25 million for University of Limerick to 'transform' campus main building

ORIGINALLY built in the 1970s to deliver "enhanced research-led teaching", University of Limerick's Main Building has now been approved for a €25 million capital investment to refurbish and extend the building which is at the "heart of its campus."

The funding, sought for its Future of UL Education (FULE) project, was awarded in full under the second round of Higher Education Strategic Investment Fund (HESIF), was announced this Wednesday by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris TD.

The FULE project will allow for a 9,462 sqm extension and 2,823 sqm refurbishment of the current 36,000 sqm Main Building, which was originally built to deliver learning spaces to facilitate academic transformation and encourage interconnectivity between disciplines.

Included in the extension of the Main Building will be, the development of digitally enhanced active learner spaces, digitally transformed laboratories, and reconnection of existing spaces to make them fit for purpose with inclusivity and universal access for all within the space.

In relation to climate targets, UL President Professor Kerstin Mey said, "the existing Main Building is one of the poorest performing buildings on campus in terms of CO2 emissions and both electrical and thermal consumption.

As a way to combat this, she added, "the energy performance of this existing building will be significantly improved by this project."

The president added, "we very much welcome this vital funding award from government which will allow us to complete a full transformation of the Main Building and its surrounding places. This is a key project for us and the future development of the University."

This funding comes after Minister Harris earlier announced approval for €100 million capital investment under Project Ireland 2040 for four higher education institutions, with UL named as one.