People and the planet: UCC to put emphasis on access and sustainability in five-year plan
This year UCC went plastic-free, eliminating all single-use plastic throughout on-campus dining, shops, and vending machines.
The next five years will see University College Cork (UCC) implement a “step change” in research, while placing a strong emphasis on areas like access and sustainability.
Launched on Tuesday, the UCC five-year strategic plan sets out the university’s aim to become the university of choice for postgraduate education and to widen student access by 2028.
With the plan also reaffirming the university’s strong commitment to tackling climate change, UCC is also to create the first dedicated sustainability and climate action office in Ireland’s higher education sector.
People and the planet are at the heart of the five-year plan, according to UCC president Professor John O’Halloran.
This year, UCC went plastic-free, eliminating all single-use plastic throughout on-campus dining, shops, and vending machines.
The green agenda at the university has been predominantly led by students for the last two decades, Prof O’Halloran said.
“The students, rightly, brought forward the idea and we are working with our suppliers,” Prof O’Halloran said.
“We had a good ecosystem there in the institution, but it has been hard at times,” he added.
“We’ve given people a few windows of maybe a few months to get things in line, but we believe it’s the right thing to do.”
A new dedicated Office of Sustainability and Climate Action has also been tasked to deliver on sector-leading environmental targets, while ensuring learning, teaching, research, and operations lead the transition to a more sustainable future.
A key component of the strategic plan is ‘UCC Futures’, a programme of research prioritisation and academic recruitment in 10 areas of strategic importance. These areas include sustainability, food microbiome and ICT research.
Prof O’Halloran said: “Another area that we really want to develop is children. From children’s rights to neonatal health, from health to law.”
“There’s a sense of the inter-disciplinary, breaking down the traditional barriers and working on the grand challenges of today.” Access is also an important focus for the college, he added.
“Twenty three per cent of our students currently come from non-traditional pathways. What’s really interesting is that up until now that has been predominately undergraduates. We are prioritising new pathways of access in postgraduate education through philanthropy and other areas.”
The strategy aims to offer different entries and increased pathways into the university from further education and prioritising an equitable educational experience.
One measure of success under the plan when it comes to research will include securing €130m from Horizon Europe funding programmes by 2028, and an additional 20 European Research Council (ERC) awards.
The economic development of Cork also features in the plan, specifically through the embedding of the Cork Innovation Corridor concept into national policy.
Key strategic developments include the €106m Cork University Business School in Cork city centre, a €75m expansion of UCC’s Tyndall National Institute, and a €2.5m upgrade of the Squad Gym in UCC’s Mardyke Arena.
A further 225 beds are close to completion at the Crow’s Nest development at Victoria Cross, and UCC aims to provide a total of 2,000 student beds within the time frame of the strategic plan.
Affordability of student accommodation is a “real issue”, Prof O’Halloran said.
“My sense is that the accommodation numbers are going to be okay [by 2028] but we have to be really careful around affordability.”
UCC offers accommodation below competitors' prices, he added.
“And that’s what we will continue to do because it is a real issue, there’s no question about it.”
CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
