Europe’s newest university town could transform the mid-west

Fifty years ago, Limerick disrupted the staid Irish university community. Its upstart institution, the NIHE, dramatically adopted a range of alien American concepts: modular degrees, continuous assessment, credits, integrated work practice and advocated close partnerships with enterprise and the professions. The goal of relevance was given the same standing as excellence. Although the concepts were vociferously rejected by the established Irish universities all have since been widely adopted.

The world has transformed itself during these past 50 years. The knowledge-age has blossomed. Global competition has become an international race for talent. The world’s most creative minds are no longer corralled in academic institutions: many of them are the key drivers of innovation and wealth-creation in advanced enterprise, and the professions.

Vital importance

The knowledge age has moved universities to centre stage. They are no longer mere social adornments but organisations of vital strategic importance to the prosperity and wellbeing of the community. What they do, and how they do it, should be relevant to the needs of the knowledge age. To respond, universities must change.

Marking its fiftieth anniversary, the University of Limerick (UL) is once again planning a most dramatic initiative to restructure itself academically and physically as a knowledge-age institution. It is planning Europe’s newest university town on an extension of its campus in County Clare.

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There, an undertaking of European scale will provide the kind of sophisticated working, living and learning environment sought by advanced corporate leadership.

High-achieving groups of students will be based in enterprise-led academies in the university town for a significant part of their degree programmes and will study under the guidance of the most creative minds, drawn from both enterprise and the university. The approach has long been the norm in medical education: now it will be applied in preparing students for leadership roles in advanced enterprise and the professions.

The first phases of campus development took place on the south side of the Shannon, the second on adjoining lands to the north. Purchase of land in Clare commenced in the 90s, and, with the construction of two bridges, the campus of over 16,000 students now magnificently straddles the Shannon … one part in Limerick, the other in Clare.

In 2011 Clare County Council (CCC) zoned land for university development and in 2016 UL and CCC commenced discussions to explore how the presence of UL could act as a catalyst for economic and social development, regionally and nationally.

Consultation took place with enterprise, nationally and internationally, and it was concluded that talent, lifestyle, stability and connectivity are the top four factors influencing enterprise in selecting an international investment location. The university-zoned land stood out immediately as the obvious location where each of these factors, either already exist, or could be readily provided.

Talent pool

In 2017 UL and CCC established a planning board to shape a development concept based on the UL talent pool and especially taking into account the need to provide sophisticated living and working conditions. Tom Coughlan, who served with distinction as CEO of CCC, agreed to serve as Chairman of a board composed of the UL President and a number of high-profile professionals; all of whom agreed to serve without payment.

The board consulted widely and produced its plan within a year. The plan was unanimously approved by the elected members of Clare County Council in April 2018.

The concept plan wove the university’s assets, the outstanding qualities of the site and the infrastructure capability into an irresistible solution. The plan provides for the creation of enterprise-led Academies established within individual firms located in a new university town. The university town would be developed on a 260-acre site, as an extension of UL’s northern campus, and be designated as a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ).

In addition to the advanced facilities created by enterprise in the university town, homes and spacious apartments, recreation and green infrastructure, including a marina, will emerge on a campus designed and landscaped to the highest international standards.

In addition to the provision of upmarket retail outlets of appropriate scale, facilities supporting wellness and well-being will emerge. It would be a priority to ensure access to a range of dining places; with at least one restaurant in the high Michelin ratings.

The development will be geared to meet the living and working expectations of a modern internationally-dynamic community. In addition to the provision of upmarket retail outlets of appropriate scale, facilities supporting wellness and well-being will emerge. It would be a priority to ensure access to a range of dining places; with at least one restaurant in the high Michelin ratings.

Much of the development will occur as indigenous, logical expansions of existing academic nuclei. Medical facilities will form a logical extension of the UL medical complex. School provision will be inspired by the needs of international communities and stimulate a logical extension of the faculty of education and the language school will anchor linguistic integration. Connectivity with existing communities in Clare and the Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area will create a strong sense of place. Culture will be enriched by exchange.

Enterprise

Under this plan carefully-selected enterprise will be invited to locate a facility in the university town. As part of that development the selected enterprise will provide 110 percent to 120 percent of normal operating space. The additional element will be used for education. It will accommodate the enterprise’s academy. Significant outlay does not arise for the university: in fact, the model is particularly cost effective.

It is intended that students of high achievement (above top 10 percent) will be given the opportunity to undertake the special academy programme, during years two, three and four of their undergraduate degrees and be based in the enterprise academies. Academy programmes will be developed jointly by enterprise and university.

Academy programmes will be taught by mentors of the enterprise itself who are accredited by UL as adjunct faculty. Students will take core modules from the university and specialist modules from their academy. Students will graduate with both a UL degree and an accredited enterprise mastery award.

Consultation with selected enterprise in two nominated sectors, aviation and life sciences, has already resulted in much interest. The academy concept is seen as both innovative and attractive. Already five enterprises are in discussion and launch of the first academy is well underway.

It can be anticipated that a multinational with an academy at UL will tend to see the country as its work-based learning hub and strengthen its interest in and commitment to Ireland. The academy concept can be expected to act as a catalyst for multinationals to view the Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area as the preferred location in which to develop a variety of education programmes, deliver them in their own setting and house their research in the same educational space, or nearby. Remaining now the only English-speaking EU country further strengthens Ireland’s attractiveness as a learning and research hub for global corporations.

Frustrating

Securing planning permission in Ireland, and indeed elsewhere in the EU, has proven to be time-consuming and often frustrating. The concept of the Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) was introduced by Government in 2000 to drive certain developments of social and economic importance to the State and ensure that planning issues are addressed and resolved in advance, through consultation with all stakeholders. Once land receives SDZ designation, the granting of planning permission for appropriate projects becomes a certainty under law. Enterprise is much attracted to the fact that SDZ designation results in certainty derived from Government policy and represents an expression of Government approval.

Projected output and employment data suggests that the gross value-added contribution of this project to Irish GDP will exceed €1.5 billion annually by 2030.

The establishment of the Shannon Free Zone in the industrial age provided welcome stimulation for Limerick and its region. The development of this knowledge-age project of European scale has the potential to have a profoundly greater impact, in economic, social and cultural terms, on Limerick city and its region.

While the SDZ lands are in Clare they are in the as-yet undeveloped north-eastern segment of the greater Limerick urban zone. The new university town will act as a catalyst for the development of this neglected area.

Light rail

Environmental matters will be at the core of the university-town development plan and designation will be sought as Ireland’s first decarbonisation zone serviced by light rail complementing the Limerick-Shannon metropolitan area transport strategy. Plans also envisage an electric-tram link between the UL campus and the Technological University of the Shannon; with onward public transport connections to Shannon airport. Renewable generation will be an integrated part of the development plan. Land will be set aside for food production.

Water-based transport can be restored, linking the SDZ to Limerick and the sea. The abandoned Errina Canal bounds the SDZ. Its proposed reopening as a functioning waterway and environmental and recreational artery can re-establish traditional links throughout the whole island from Limerick to Belfast.

It was thought earlier that additional infrastructure will be required in terms of roads and other services in order to facilitate the development. That is still true, but it is becoming clearer that the services will happen because of the project rather than the project following the services. The earliest enterprises will locate much more quickly and rely on modified existing services. Major roads will be built as the project expands.

Radical

The university will be changed radically. Its earliest commitment to relevance will be the core of all it does. It will be Ireland’s lead enterprise university. It will make partnership with like-minded universities in Europe and worldwide. These partnerships are already being built. Limerick City will experience new benefits from its university in terms of footfall and destination venues that attract the new residents into the city centre and an entirely different relationship between town and gown will emerge.

In the context of Brexit there appears to be considerable support amongst key players in Brussels in encouraging the emergence of a major knowledge-age project of European scale on “the other island”; serving to vividly highlight the merits of EU membership.

It is seen as part of the European project; supported at the outset at commission, secretary general level. The scale and potential is such that major players, both public and private nationally and internationally are taking a keen interest. Ezra Cornell, the founder of Cornell University, would empathise. This major initiative fits his dictum well: “undertake no small projects; they are so difficult to accomplish”.

Dr Edward Walsh is founding president of the University of Limerick and deputy chair of  UL’s university town project planning board.