The recently announced Healthcare Education Activation Programme (HEAP) will fund new buildings and refurbishment projects in higher education institutions to:
1. Introduce new healthcare programmes.
2. Increase places on existing courses.
3. Address national workforce shortages in key healthcare discipline.
A capital project at South East Technological University (SETU) to support a new pharmacy programme has been approved in principle under this programme. The proposed new facility includes provision for both pharmacy and veterinary programmes. This combined Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy building will be one of the first buildings on the Glassworks Campus (Waterford Crystal) and will include the provision of undergraduate teaching spaces and laboratories, and staff accommodation supported by social and innovation flexible space along with ancillary and plant space.
In addition my Department is currently supporting a number of major capital projects at SETU which will aid in the delivery of pharmacy education capacity. Contracts were signed for the five buildings in Higher Education PPP Bundle 2, including Waterford, in June 2025 with construction commencing immediately thereafter. The construction period for the Waterford building is 36 months and is expected to be complete in Q2 2028.
Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies in respect of academic provision, within the parameters of national policy, regulatory requirements and available funding. The expansion of pharmacy education capacity to date has focused on broadening regional provision, including new pharmacy programmes in the University of Galway and Atlantic Technological University in 2025, and a further programme in South East Technological University commencing in 2026, alongside continued delivery by existing providers.
Any future decisions regarding the distribution of additional pharmacy places, including at University College Cork, will be considered through Higher Education Authority-led processes and will be informed by workforce planning data and identification of need by the Department of Health, regulatory requirements and, critically, the availability of suitable clinical placements.
Clinical placement infrastructure, including the organisation and availability of practice education settings within the health service, falls primarily within the remit of the Department of Health and the HSE.
To support evidence-based planning, a national clinical placement mapping exercise was recently undertaken by the Higher Education Authority, in collaboration with higher education institutions. This mapping work is currently under consideration by the HSE and is intended to support more strategic, regionally-informed planning for future expansion, including identifying pressures, opportunities and constraints within existing placement arrangements.
Government will continue to work closely across Departments, agencies, with higher education institutions and the health sector to build on this significant expansion, while ensuring that training capacity growth is aligned with service needs and supported by appropriate clinical placement infrastructure.
