Following the publication of an FOI request, it has been revealed that Trinity’s University Endowment fund includes stocks from UN- blacklisted Israeli firms.
The request, submitted by Trinity College Dublin Students Union (TCDSU) president László Molnárfi, sought to clarify the involvement of Israeli institutions within Trinity through investment, provision of services and funding, and partnerships held by departments within.
Though the FOI request for a list of Israeli institutions that had provided funding for research within Trinity and its related schools was refused, this was due to there being “no record of funding from any Israeli entity is recorded”.
“No records on Israeli partners could be located as the country of origin of partners is not recorded by Contract and Consult,” the letter stated.
The letter clarified the partnerships held by Trinity with Israeli institutions, both academic and otherwise. These links included a partnership between the department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies and the Hebrew University Jerusalem, and a partnership between the school of religion, theology, and peace studies with Bar Ilan University.
Following a request for a list of Israeli companies which provide services to, trade with, or hold investments of any form with College, a list of 10 suppliers were identified by the Finance Department.
Alongside this, the letter included a list of Israeli stocks included in the University Endowment Fund Investment portfolio.
The list, published in a report by the United Nation Human Rights Office in 2020, includes three of the thirteen connections listed in the letter; Shapir Engineering NPV, Energix Renewable Energy, and Bank Leumi.
However, the letter notes that the power to choose the companies included in the endowment fund does not fall to the university, instead decided by the fund managers.
The fund comprises a collection of over 400 individual endowments, with the use of the donation specified by the donor.
