GMIT and Galway City Council sign up to closer collaborations to further develop city and region

Friday, February 16, 2018 Press Office
Press Release

Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) and Galway City Council (GCC) have signed a new agreement setting out a commitment  to work together on common principles and strategies to make the greatest and most sustainable use of the economic, social and cultural assets of Galway city and region for its people.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aims to enhance opportunities for the people of Galway city, protect, strengthen and further develop the city region as a place to live, work and visit; and provide for Galway’s and the region’s long-term and sustainable economic development and quality of life. The MOU is an equal partnership between Galway City and GMIT, with a focus on city development and collaborating more closely on a European and International level to improve the competitiveness of Galway City.

The agreement was formally signed by the Mayor of the City of Galway, Cllr. Pearce Flannery, and the President of GMIT, Dr Fergal Barry, at a meeting of the City Council in the GMIT Galway (Dublin Road) campus on Monday, 12 February (2018).

Mayor Flannery says that “this is a unique occasion for Galway City Council to hold its meeting at the GMIT campus on the Dublin Road and to sign and endorse the Memorandum of Understanding to enhance collaboration between the third level institute and Galway City Council. GMIT serves and engages with its diverse communities through enhanced relationships on their campuses, in the region and around the world. Through community engagement and partnerships, the third level institution supports social and cultural development as part of a holistic approach to regional development”.

Dr Fergal Barry, President of GMIT, says deeper collaborations between GMIT and Galway City Council will bring great benefits: “Galway city is unique in the country in that it has the highest proportion of third-level students in Ireland.  GMIT has a student population equivalent to that of a large town which when combined with the NUIG student population accounts for approximately 30% of the Galway City population”.

The new benefits that will flow from deeper collaborations between GMIT and Galway City Council include:

• Joint initiatives of local governance with other institutional and social actors of the City and GMIT;

• Proactively developing innovation and educational policies and sharing the benefits and impact of research and education with the broader regional, national and European stakeholders;

• Incentives to knowledge and culture-based entertainment events as a positive element of GMIT and City life, and engagement with the broader public;

• Promotion of sport among students and all citizens, both as an amateur and professional activity;

• Development of welcoming and affordable residential policies;

• Development of a joint policy on protection, enhancement and guarantee of sustainability of GMIT buildings;

• Support the expansion of youth entrepreneurship;

• Support to all neighbourhoods and seek in partnership to address and promote social inclusion;

• Development of policies to strengthen the local economy and local labour market policy to attract companies;

• Supporting the Galway Transport Strategy in promoting sustainable transport to service population of GMIT;

• Improving the Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings in Galway.