€97m funding to improve teaching and research

PROJECTS to help students with disabilities access and benefit from third-level courses are among dozens of programmes that will benefit from a total of €97 million in government funding announced yesterday.

The Strategic Innovation Fund spending will clear the way for 31 projects, of which all but one involve collaboration between two or more colleges.

The main criteria for awarding money were that projects should improve teaching and research, promote restructuring within colleges and support access to higher education for students from under-represented categories.