Taoiseach announces €44.5 million Shared Island cross-border funding to expand Ulster University’s Derry~Londonderry campus

The Irish Government has awarded €44.5 million from the Shared Island Fund for a major investment at Ulster University’s campus in Derry to expand higher education on both sides of the border.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Further & Higher Education Minister Simon Harris, and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth Roderic O’Gorman confirmed €56 million in funding for several significant cross-border investments which includes €44.5 million to build a new teaching and student services building at Ulster University’s Derry~Londonderry campus.

The new teaching building will provide additional lecture and seminar spaces, computer labs, and on-campus student services. It will also free up space in other buildings on campus for teaching and research activity. This investment at Ulster

University in Derry will underpin teaching and research cooperation between Ulster University and Atlantic Technological UniversityDonegal. It will also allow the four North West Tertiary Education Cluster institutions to work more closely together in providing further and higher education in the region.

Speaking after the announcement, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD said, “This investment in Ulster University marks a step-change in higher education in the North West. It will help to transform education in the region, and in the medium term will foster new jobs and economic growth. The new teaching and student services building will help to grow student numbers and enhance higher education. It also fulfils our commitment under the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) agreement to invest in the Derry campus.”

Professor Paul Bartholomew, Vice-Chancellor of Ulster University, added, “We are delighted to receive confirmation of this investment by the Irish Government. The funding announced will make a very significant contribution in preparing the campus for significant growth and is part of a larger investment package that comprises our own investment, City Deal funding, Inclusive Futures funding, and Department for the Economy capital grant monies. With our partners, we have an ambitious vision to continue to expand student numbers on our Derry campus and to grow our economic and social impact in the whole of the North West of the island.”

Minister for Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, also added, “This announcement is not just about capital investment in Ulster University’s campus, but a signal of our commitment to all-island education. We have made incredible progress with colleagues in Northern Ireland to deliver medical and nursing education on an all-island basis. Today is a major step forward. This is something long sought after but today we are reporting invaluable progress under New Decade, New Approach.”

Book on the go with the new Aircoach app

Aircoach, Ireland’s leading private bus and coach operator, has launched a new mobile app that will make its booking service quicker and easier for passengers.

The new mobile app will significantly improve customer experience by giving passengers the ability to plan, book, amend, and store tickets on their mobile as well as providing coach journey tracking.

The new mobile app announcement follows the launch of the new 705X Derry~Londonderry Service hitting the road and the expansion of the Free Travel Pass to their Cork (704X) and Galway (706/706X) routes.

The full range of benefits the new app will give to customers include:

• Favourite locations and previous bookings are saved making it easier to book again.

• Buy and store tickets on your phone so you will never have to worry about losing your ticket or having enough cash to pay on board.

• Best priced fares will be easily identifiable as well as services that have limited capacity.

• Check out more quickly using debit/credit card, Google Pay, or Apple Pay.

• Additional features allow for the purchase of addons such as Flexibook and DoDublin tickets, apply discount codes, and redemption of loyalty points.

The app is available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Launching the new app, Dervla McKay, Managing Director of Aircoach said, “Our new mobile app means it’s now even easier to book Aircoach tickets and reinforces our service as one that is convenient, innovative, and customer centric. It will be a game changer for our loyal customers and how we interact with them across locations throughout Ireland.”

“Making journeys and bookings easier for customers is central to our planned growth in the future. We were the first national bus operator to accept contactless card payments across all our services and we are thoroughly committed to innovation. Today’s mobile app announcement is clear evidence of that.”

The award-winning company, Aircoach is a subsidiary of First Group plc which is one of the UK and Ireland’s largest transport companies.