Trinity to receive a philanthropic donation of 30 million euro for the development of the Trinity East campus

The donation is the largest ever given to an Irish university by individual benefactors and will be used to develop the E3 Research Institute

Trinity is set to receive a philanthropic donation of 30 million euro to be used for the development of the Trinity East campus.

The donation is the largest philanthropic donation from individual benefactors given to an Irish university in the history of the state.

The donation is to be used to fund the development of the E3 Research Institute (E3RI) on the new campus. 

The E3RI will house large scale research programmes in the fields of engineering, environment and emerging technologies.  It will focus on developing sustainable technologies, tackling issues such as climate change with the goal of adapting engineering, science and technology to develop solutions to these global issues.

Furthermore, E3RI is to spearhead the development of the new campus and initiate the proposed Grand Canal Innovation District.

The donation was made by Eric and Barbara Kinsella. Mr Kinsella is an alumnus of Trinity and the current executive chairman of the Jones Engineering Group.

The couple are long-term benfectors of  Trinity, having funded Kinsella Hall in the Ussher Library and a programme of engineering scholarships for talented students. . 

 The philanthropic funding was praised by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Research. He thanked the couple and called the donation “an act of patriotism”.

He continued saying “with foresight and generosity they are backing the kind of innovation that will be crucial for the higher education sector in the years to come”.

Speaking on the E3RI campus itself, Minister Harris has said that “the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted to all the central role that science and technology must play in helping us solve the pressing problems of our time”.

He believes that the E3RI “will considerably broaden Trinity’s capacity in emerging areas of research and innovation, and lead to strong economic and societal benefits for the country”.

Provost Patrick Prendergast has said that College is “deeply grateful for this transformative donation” and the donation will “make it possible for us to realise our vision for the new Trinity East campus in the Grand Canal Innovation District”.

He believes that the development of the Trinity East campus is “a historic opportunity for a university which has existed on its main campus since 1592”.

Mr Kinsella said that he and Mrs Kinsella “are delighted to support a project of such national significance”.

He believes that “the new Trinity East campus will be a highly efficient investment in the social and economic future of our country”.

He continued to say that the development of the Trinity East campus will “increase the prestige of our education and science sector internationally, will deliver research outputs in areas critical for the future of our planet and will enable Trinity to expand its student body, giving new opportunities to young people throughout Ireland”.  

The E3RI was approved by College Board in June 2020 and pre-planning for the project is underway.

 

 

 

Jamie Cox

Jamie Cox is current News Analysis Editor for Trinity News and previously served as Higher Education Correspondent. He is a Junior Sophister Ancient and Medieval History and Culture student.