A major milestone has been reached in the development of a new 5,200 square metre state- of-the-art teaching and research building on the Moylish Campus at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS).
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless TD laid a ceremonial brick to mark the topping-out of the new Applied Science and Information Technology building, which will provide five floors of cutting-edge teaching, research and laboratory space.
The Minister’s visit to TUS also included tours of the Coonagh and Ennis Campuses.
Construction of the Applied Science and Information Technology (ASIT) Building began in 2025, with the new facility due to become operational as a teaching and learning space in 2028. It will include purpose-built science laboratories, computer rooms, general teaching spaces, a large lecture theatre and staff offices.
The ASIT Building is one of the projects already progressing under the recently launched TUS Campus Development Masterplan, a blueprint for the future development of TUS campuses to 2040. During his visit to Moylish, Minister Lawless was shown some of the plans for future developments across TUS contained in the Masterplan, which together have an estimated cumulative value of approximately €750 million.
Minister Lawless said: “It is great to be here at Moylish to mark this important milestone in the delivery of the new Applied Science & IT Building.
“The new 5,200m² facility will provide modern science laboratories, teaching and learning spaces and, together with space released elsewhere on campus, support capacity for approximately 700 additional students.
“This investment is about more than a new building. It is about giving students and staff the facilities they need and strengthening TUS’s capacity to meet the skills needs of Limerick and the wider region.”
Welcoming the Minister to TUS, President Professor Vincent Cunnane said:
“This is a very significant investment in our Moylish Campus and in the future of applied science and information technology education and research in this region. Reaching this stage is tangible evidence of the progress being made across TUS, but it is also one step in a much bigger journey. Our Campus Development Masterplan sets out an ambitious vision for the future of TUS, including major developments planned for our Athlone Campus, the transformation envisaged at Cleeves Riverside Quarter in Limerick city centre and a range of other projects across all of our campuses. We now have the blueprint. The challenge is to build on the progress we are seeing here at Moylish and secure the sustained investment and partnerships required to deliver that vision for our students, our staff and the regions we serve.”
The ASIT development is part of the second phase of the Higher Education Public Private Partnership (PPP) programme announced in 2017, which is delivering new STEM facilities across a number of higher education campuses in Ireland.
The Higher Education Authority is the Sponsoring Agency for the project, working with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
The National Development Finance Agency, part of the National Treasury Management Agency, was responsible for the procurement of the project on behalf of the Department and continues to be involved during the construction phase.
Located adjacent to the original main campus building at Moylish, the new facility will create a consolidated cluster of teaching and research activity, allowing for shared services and technical support between existing and new laboratory spaces and closer connections between undergraduate, postgraduate and research activity.
The development has also been designed to meet high sustainability standards, with rooftop photovoltaic panels and a Sustainable Drainage System among its features.
The Moylish development forms part of a wider programme of investment in TUS infrastructure, following the opening of the Mary Ward Centre for Science at the Athlone Campus in 2025 and the development of the Coonagh Campus in Limerick.
Keith Cunningham, David Ryan, Teresa Myskow and Michael Searson, from the National Development Finance Agency (NDFA), with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, and President of TUS, Professor Vincent Cunnane.