Universities face funding gap of up to €200m due to pandemic

Jim Miley, director general of the Irish Universities Association (IUA). Universities are facing a funding deficit of €200m due to the pandemic, representatives have warned.

Irish universities could be facing a deficit of up to €200m due to the ongoing pandemic in the event of a “worst-case scenario”, higher education representatives have warned.

Even taking on board positive forecasts for 2021, universities are still estimated to be facing a combined deficit of at least €102m between this academic year and the last, according to the Irish Universities Association (IUA).