Posted 24 September 2014
AIB announces major investment partnership at UCD
Unveils state of the art campus branch at Belfield
AIB today announced a major investment in a seven year Partnership and Innovation Initiative with UCD. The initiative was unveiled at the launch of AIB’s newly refurbished student branch at UCD’s Belfield Campus.
Speaking at the launch of the partnership, David Duffy, chief executive of AIB, said: “AIB returned to profitability earlier this year and we are now well placed to play our part in Ireland’s economic future. We believe this partnership with UCD will provide important support to graduates whose contribution is so vital to Ireland’s economic recovery. The partnership will also help the bank understand and support sectors that have a role to play in the economic and social well-being of our country.’’
Pictured at the announcement: Prof Andrew Deeks, President of UCD and David Duffy, Chief Executive of AIB
AIB has a long-standing relationship with UCD. The bank was a founding sponsor for NovaUCD – the University’s incubation and technology transfer facility, which has supported over thirty spin-out companies in the past ten years.
Commenting on the initiative, the President of UCD, Professor Andrew Deeks, said:
“This Innovation Partnership between UCD and AIB draws upon our commitment to support national recovery. The programme covers two main areas – expertise and scholarship. Firstly, it seeks to leverage academic and innovation expertise that can support initiatives designed to improve the economic and social well-being of the country. Secondly, it will promote scholarship in the areas of leadership, service to the community and knowledge transfer. UCD is developing a strong portfolio of strategic industry partnerships, and we are pleased to welcome AIB to this group.”
Under the terms of the agreement, AIB will collaborate with the university including on original research in areas such as agriculture, food, medicine, information and communications technology (ICT), biopharma, business and entrepreneurship.
The partnership will support research to identify and develop the most effective higher educational environments to produce graduates who can thrive in the national and international marketplaces.
Some of the funds will be earmarked for scholarships to support access to education for the economically disadvantaged, people with a disability and mature students.
The bank also announced it was launching the AIB/UCD Student Life Fund, working in partnership with the university.
The fund aims to ensure students have access to a vast range of best-in-class sporting, club and social activities all adding to their learning and campus experience.
Commenting on the new branch in Belfield, David Duffy said: “The new AIB branch on UCD will be a landmark student branch, co-designed with input from students themselves. Customers will have access to the latest in banking technology and will benefit from extended opening hours.’’
(Produced by UCD University Relations)
