THE IRISH Management Institute (IMI) and University College Cork (UCC) have begun negotiating a merger in a move designed to bolster its provision of executive education.
The two organisations said they had begun “exclusive negotiations” aimed at reaching a merger.
“Both organisations view this significant development as mutually enhancing the delivery of their strategic objectives in the area of executive education,” they said.
The Sandyford, Co Dublin-based institute is aiming to improve its rankings in executive education, which includes a three-year Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) programme and several degrees and diplomas in management, organisational behaviour and leadership. It also offers customised training programmes to executives and runs a five-day “mini-MBA” course.
UCC president Michael Murphy said the Cork university had “a long history of excellence in undergraduate and postgraduate education in business disciplines”, but that a merger with a “leading international brand” such as the IMI would “strengthen further the capacity of each organisation nationally and internationally”.
Tom McCarthy, chief executive of the IMI, said the board of the institute hoped its discussions with UCC would be successful and “to the benefit of Irish business and society”.
UCC and IMI said they would make no further comment during the negotiations. The move follows the UCD-Trinity research merger and exploratory talks on closer links between NUI Maynooth, the Royal College of Surgeons and Dublin City University.
