RUN-EU is now made of seven reputable higher education institutions. On 1 October, the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) and the Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) ceased to exist and became Ireland’s new Technological University of the Shannon: Midlands Midwest (TUS). For RUN-EU, the first Irish interregional university represents a huge step forward in the transformation of the country’s higher education landscape and a strong commitment to the alliance’s regional development goals.

The merger of the two institutes resulted in a multi-campus university spread across six colleges (Athlone, Clonmel, Ennis, Thurles, and Limerick) throughout Ireland’s Midwest and Midlands region. TUS comprises a student population of more than 14,000 and a staff community of approximately 2,000 members. Being classified and recognised as a university makes TUS more attractive for international students and enables it to provide new opportunities for its students and researchers, by diversifying its research offer and awarding degrees in new areas of speciality.

TUS will preserve LIT and AIT’s identities and continue partnering with key stakeholders from industry and society, driving development across the Midlands and Midwest, thus making the region more attractive for national and foreign investment.

Professor Vincent Cunnane was appointed Founding President of the TUS, following an international recruitment process.