Research Centre and Host Institutes

DCU is a young, dynamic and ambitious university with a distinctive mission to transform lives and societies through education, research and innovation. Since admitting its first students in 1980, DCU has grown in both student numbers and size and is now a multi campus environment in Glasnevin, located just north of Dublin city.

DCU is recognised nationally and internationally as a centre of academic excellence with over 16,000 students and it is regularly featured among the top young universities globally as measured by the Times Higher Education Top 100 under 50 and the QS Top 50 under 50.

As Ireland’s university on the world stage, Trinity is recognised for academic excellence and a transformative student experience. The historic campus is located in the heart of Dublin city centre, at the meeting place of the retail and cultural districts.

With a tradition of scholarship spanning more than four centuries, Trinity is home to talented, inquiring minds, a liberal education, and research conducted at the frontiers of disciplines.

University College Dublin has its origins in the mid-nineteenth century under the leadership of the renowned educationalist John Henry Cardinal Newman. Since its foundation in 1854, the University has flourished and made a unique and substantial contribution to the creation of modern Ireland, based on successful engagement with the Irish society, on every level and across every sphere of activity.

UCD is one of Europe’s leading research-intensive universities; an environment where undergraduate education, masters and PhD training, research, innovation and community engagement form a dynamic spectrum of activity.

Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) has been an integral part of the Irish Higher Education system for more than a century. In that time, it has continued to adapt and expand its provision to reflect a changing society and the wider economic environment.

TU Dublin is now one of Ireland’s largest and most innovative university-level institutions. A comprehensive, dual-sector doctoral-awarding institution, TU Dublin combines the academic excellence of a traditional university with professional, career-oriented learning, preparing graduates for productive leadership roles.

Maynooth University is internationally recognised and one of Ireland’s fastest growing university. One of four constituent universities of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth University, in 2019, placed #50 in the global top 100 universities under 50 years old in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Maynooth’s unique collegial culture fosters an interdisciplinary approach to research, which its world-class academics bring to bear in tackling some of the most fundamental challenges facing society today. The University’s research institutes and centres consolidate and deliver this impact, as vibrant communities of learning, discovery and creation. Research at Maynooth is very much central to its teaching, and the University prides itself on placing equal value on its research and teaching missions.

The University boasts many top-class facilities, including its award-winning Library, IT Building, and its world-class laboratories. MTU, former CIT – Cork Institute of Technology, presently has four separate campuses and has in the region of 12,000 registered students with approximately 2,000 new entries year on year.

MTU has gone through many changes to bring it to a matured, modern, third level institution offering a range of awards in a variety of disciplines. Research is a core dimension of MTU activity through its collaboration with a wide range of organisations including Higher Education Institutions, Industry, State, and Voluntary Bodies.

The MTU Research mission is to continue building on niche strengths and to develop sustainable and productive research, innovation, technology transfer, and postgraduate education across all its faculties. All developments are designed to help the University to fulfil its mission as a provider of high-quality student-centred, career-focused, education opportunities for Cork, the greater Cork region and the country as a whole.

Situated in the heart of Ireland, Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) offers students an education that equips them for career success. With a focus on real-world engagement, AIT’s approach to teaching and learning gives students the knowledge and skills sought by employers. This professional orientation is embedded across all faculties, through placements, project work and an applied research focus. AIT offers more than 100 full-time programmes from two-year sub-degree courses through to PhD, across its four schools of business, humanities, engineering and science.

This modern higher education institution has a state-of-the-art campus, the benefit of a €100 million investment since 2000. In addition to cutting-edge laboratories and lecture theatres, AIT’s sporting infrastructure boasts Olympic-standard indoor and outdoor facilities. Students from more than 50 different nationalities call AIT home, small wonder given the personal welcome they receive and the attention to ensuring that all students receive the very best education possible.