UCD and Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, tadalafil Design and Technology (IADT) have signed a memorandum of understanding which will support the development of educational and creative collaborations between the two institutions.

This follows a Higher Education Authority (HEA) report to the minister for Education Ruairi Quinn which proposed a merging of third level institution in Leinster to enable strategic collaborations.

Dr Annie Doona, patient President of IADT, decease revealed that the institutes had been in discussions since July 2012 regarding teaching, research and innovation. Dr Doona pointed out that this signing would not affect the position of IADT in the academic field, “IADT will maintain its specialised position within the education landscape and today’s announcement is a step forward in developing relations between our two Institutions.”

Deputy President of UCD, Professor Mark Rogers, stated that the signing will bring about excellent opportunities for all involved and remarked on the similarities that the two institutes share, “we both promote an entrepreneurial spirit among our students and our staff and I can foresee creative outcomes from the cross-pollination and exchange of ideas between the two institutions.”

This understanding reflects on the recent Higher Education Authority (HEA) report to the Minister of Education, Ruairi Quinn, which outlined the potential for the two institutions to form an alliance. The report also outlined the importance of IADT’s independence and expects a detailed plan to be proposed to the HEA by the end of October 2013 which “should engage in discussion with University College Dublin and National College of Art and Design with a view to developing an alliance that could actively exploit opportunities for cooperation.”