€25m capital investment for University of Limerick to refurbish and extend Main Building

University of Limerick awarded €25m investment for extension and refurbishment of Main Building

University of Limerick awarded €25m capital investment to refurbish and extend the Main Building at the heart of its campus

University of Limerick has been approved for a €25 million capital investment to refurbish and extend the Main Building at the heart of its campus, it has been announced.

The funding, awarded 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.

UL has been approved in principle for the full amount it sought for its Future of UL Education (FULE) project.

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The FULE project will allow for a 9,462 sqm extension and 2,823 sqm refurbishment of the 36,000 sqm Main Building, originally built in the late 1970s, to deliver enhanced research-led teaching and learning spaces to facilitate academic transformation and encourage interconnectivity between disciplines.

It will also facilitate growth in student numbers, meeting existing and emerging knowledge and skills at a regional and national level. The additional spaces created will be integrated with the Main Building.

UL President Professor Kerstin Mey said: “We very much welcome this vital funding award from the 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.

“The project has been informed by the principles of sustainability, and inclusivity, and will deliver a healthy and empowered environment for learners and staff.

“The project will include the development of digitally enhanced active learner spaces that will place student needs at its heart and create a critical mass of digitally transformed laboratories to facilitate essential in-person teaching and research-led learning activities. 

“It will regenerate and reconnect existing spaces to make them fit for purpose in line with advanced pedagogies and further embracing a research-led culture.

“These spaces will enable development of our curriculum and approach to teaching, enhancing the student experience and addressing critical skills needs for the knowledge economy. 

“The project will advance the attainment of climate action targets. The existing Main Building is one of the poorest-performing buildings on campus in terms of CO2 emissions and both electrical and thermal consumption. The energy performance of this existing building will be significantly improved by this project.”

Minister Harris said as part of ongoing investment in the sector through Project Ireland 2040, the funding provided under HESIF 2 “has the objective of delivering high quality higher education infrastructure and delivering a major strategic impact for Ireland’s future skills needs”. 

The FULE project is a key project within the UL Framework for Physical Development that seeks to ensure the most sustainable and effective development of land and the facilitation of a vibrant and living campus.

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