A major expansion is on the way to UL.
A major expansion is on the way to the University of Limerick, with over 330 additional jobs expected to be created.
As well as that, the college plans to recruit a further 4,000 students in the coming five years.
This news come as part of a new strategic plan that was announced by the university’s President Des Fitzgerald on Friday morning.
The announcement took place on the site of the planned new UL City Campus in the former Dunnes Stores site on Sarsfield Bridge in the city centre.
The site was acquired by UL from Dunnes Stores earlier this year and is at the heart of the university’s expansion plans.
Fitzgerald said that among the new students that are being expected, there will be an emphasis on postgraduate and international students, bringing an additional annual spend of circa €30 million to the Limerick area.
As a result, staff numbers in the university will grow by around 330 to 1,930 to support the increase in student numbers.
Plans were also revealed that will see the college launch a “development Masterplan” for the 360-acre campus in Castletroy, just outside Limerick city.
Speaking about the expansion plans, he said: “In this strategic plan we make clear that the university here must aspire to be amongst the leading universities in these islands and we will achieve that by putting academic excellence at the heart of our plans.
“In order to release the full potential of the site we are developing the specifications of an international architectural competition to achieve the most progressive, grand, effective and ambitious design possible.
“We have a lot of hard work ahead to raise the substantial funding that will do justice to the opportunity here, but we are determined that the UL City Campus will be a flagship for our University and our city.”
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