HEA awards €1m to UCD for taking ‘Ireland into the space age’
17 October 2025
Professor Lorraine Hanlon, Director of UCD's Centre for Space Research, UCD President Professor Orla Feely, and James Lawless TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Credit: HEA
University College Dublin has received €1m in funding for taking ‘Ireland into the space age’ after the successful launch of the country’s first ever space mission, EIRSAT-1.
The University is one of five higher education institutions (HEIs) to share in €5m in Performance Funding from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for their exemplary contributions to the delivery of national strategy and policy priorities.
This is according to Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless TD, who congratulated each awardee for demonstrating “the significant and valuable impact that our higher education and research system has on all aspects of our economy, environment and society”.
“The initiatives recognised are impressively wide ranging - they rethink inclusive digital education, tackle disadvantage through equitable access to work experience, foster entrepreneurship and support start-ups, promote the Sustainable Development Goals, inspire and train future engineers and scientists, and take Ireland into the space age.”
We are delighted to receive this (opens in a new window)#PerformanceFunding from (opens in a new window)@hea_irl. Thanks and congratulations to all who worked on EIRSAT-1 across (opens in a new window)@ucddublin and our partners. Our work in space education, research and innovation continues, and this funding will help drive this and more. (opens in a new window)https://t.co/Anj4oHUdYc
— Orla Feely (@OrlaFeely) (opens in a new window)October 16, 2025
Introduced in 2019, Performance Funding aims to support and recognise positive performance in Ireland’s higher education and research system.
UCD collaborated with the European Space Agency (ESA) to launch Ireland’s first ever space mission EIRSAT-1 in 2023.
Built by students and faculty at the University, and overseen by Professor Lorraine Hanlon, Director of UCD's Centre for Space Research, the project trained more than 50 students in physics, engineering, computer science and mathematics.
It successfully demonstrated Ireland’s ability to design, build, and operate a satellite, strengthening national expertise and laying the foundation for future growth in the Irish space sector.
Other HEIs awarded €1m in performance funding alongside UCD include Dublin City University, Maynooth University, Trinity College Dublin, and University College Cork.
Each awardee were invited to submit a case study describing an initiative that has made a significant contribution to the achievement of national strategy and providing an assessment of its impact.
The submissions were evaluated by an independent expert panel.
“These awards continue to highlight the valuable and diverse ways in which higher education institutions are responding to national priorities, global challenges, and community needs, and this year’s successful case studies exemplify the sector’s transformative role in our society,” said Dr Alan Wall, CEO of the HEA.
“Of particular note is the strength of partnerships and collaborations between these institutions and communities, organisations and networks throughout Ireland and beyond. The learning emerging from this process is of considerable value and will inform future work across the sector. The HEA is delighted to support this work and to continue promoting the sharing of effective approaches across the system.”
Further information on successful case studies are published on the ‘(opens in a new window)Institutional Stories of Impact’ page on the HEA’s website.
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
