SETU completes its purchase of former Waterford Crystal site 

Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris said: 'This acquisition has been a long-standing commitment for me since SETU’s formation back in 2022.'

The South East Technological University (SETU) has completed the purchase of most of the former Waterford Crystal site for development as an enterprise hub.

The university signed final contracts today for the purchase of just over 20 acres of the 37-acre former world-famous glass factory site, which sits alongside its Cork Road campus in Waterford, marking the end of a long process.

Built in the early 1970s, the Waterford Crystal plant at Kilbarry was among the largest manufacturing units of its type in the world at the time, employing up to 1,000 people. The site has been vacant since the factory ceased operations there in 2009.

SETU now plans to transform the site into a university and enterprise quarter, where academic activities will be integrated with enterprise initiatives to create an economic and social impact at regional and national level.

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris, welcomed the news that the site purchase has been formally completed.

“This acquisition has been a long-standing commitment for me since SETU’s formation back in 2022,” he said.

Education has the power to transform lives and communities, and our technological sector has always played a crucial role in regional development. The history of this site is known and now its future is secure. That is down to the efforts of many people.

SETU president Professor Veronica Campbell said: "It is exciting to imagine a site that was once an internationally recognised hub of creativity and industry be reinvigorated as a location for learning, research, and innovation.

“We have initiated development plans for the first academic building that will support our ambitions in the sciences, including SETU strengths in pharmaceutical technologies."

Waterford City and County Council CEO Michael Walsh said the council is excited to work with SETU, State agencies, and the developers to drive the development of the site.

Site owner Noel Frisby said he too looks forward to "continued collaboration with the various stakeholders" in regenerating the area and creating long-term employment for Waterford and the southeast.

The completion of the sale will also allow Mr Frisby to advance plans for the existing former showroom building, where detailed designs for its refurbishment and extension have been drawn up to create what he hopes will be "an iconic landmark building" at the entrance to Waterford city.

SETU has campuses in Waterford and Wexford, and has a presence in Kilkenny and Wicklow, with over 18,000 students and 1,500 staff.