Dublin City University has raised €75 million since the launch of it Shaping the Future capital campaign in October 2015 to raise funds to support a range of inspiring university projects.
The money raised in the ambitious fundraising drive has enabled the university to address major contemporary issues, such as tackling global challenges of providing clean water through research at DCU’s Water Institute, to the designation of DCU as the world’s first Autism-Friendly University.
The success of the campaign has also transformed the student experience at DCU through the development The U, DCU’s state-of-the-art student centre which opened in 2018, and improved equality of access to higher education through support for DCU’s Access Programme.
Led by the DCU Educational Trust, the campaign is on course to meet its target of raising €100m by 2021.
Significant Shaping the Future projects include:
- DCU’s impressive new student centre, The U, built at a cost of almost €15m, all of which was raised through philanthropy (with over 50% coming from the student community);
- DCU Access, the largest access programme of any university in Ireland, has received over €5.5 million in donations to support Access scholarships in support of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds;
- Three academic Chairs (full Professorships) were established, including the Desmond Chair in Early Childhood Education, the Prometric Chair in Assessment, and the AIB Chair in Data Analytics (each of which represented a first for Ireland);
- Over €14m has been leveraged for research into issues of global significance by DCU Water Institute, DCU Institute for Future Media and Journalism (FuJo), and DCU Institute for International Conflict Resolution and Reconstruction (IICRR);
- Over €2 million invested to support Irish family businesses through the DCU National Centre for Family Business;
- 44 student entrepreneur teams were supported through the UStart student accelerator programme;
Investment in DCU’s Ireland India Institute led to €3.8 million funding for the Global India Education Training Network;
- 56 universities on 5 continents have joined the global Age Friendly University Network, founded and led by DCU, with support from the campaign;
- More than 200 athletes per annum have been supported through DCU’s renowned Sports Academy;
- Two ANAM arts and culture showcases have been hosted across DCU’s North Dublin campuses to lay the foundations for a North Dublin Cultural Quarter;
- An innovative Irish language MOOC, Fáilte ar Líne, has been developed and has attracted nearly 50,000 learners across 130 countries;
- Teachers Inspire Ireland, a 5-year national initiative to recognise the transformative impact of teachers in Irish society, has been established with the first awards to be presented in early October;
Commenting on the announcement, Professor Brian MacCraith, DCU President, said:
“The success of the campaign has been hugely uplifting. Supporters of the University, who have been inspired by the campaign projects and DCU’s track record of innovation and delivery, have invested in us but also in the future of Ireland. The impact of this investment will be felt for many decades to come.”
DCU Educational Trust CEO, Jim Canavan, added:
“The Educational Trust would like to thank all of our donors who have supported us to date in reaching this important campaign milestone. We are well positioned to reach our ambitious target of €100 million by 2021 and will continue to strengthen and build on our existing relationships and look to establish new partnerships in order to meet this goal.”
