Experts urge speedier merger between colleges

The institutes of technology in Cork and Tralee should merge sooner for their planned application to become a technological university, say experts who evaluated their proposal.

Although an international panel agreed before Christmas that the Munster Technological University (MTU) project is likely to meet the criteria to become a TU, there are significant issues to be addressed.

The colleges plan to formally merge, which is required before applying to be designated a TU, in August 2016. But the experts appointed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) believe the timescale is long, compared to other cases.