So far, 20 focus groups have met and a total of almost 200 staff have participated with further focus groups planned for the coming weeks. The range of issues discussed includes identity, ethos and organisational culture, the personal impact of the Incorporation and the opportunities and challenges the Incorporation will bring.

In a significant development for the Incorporation Programme, DCU and CICE have signed an inter–institutional linkage agreement which means that CICE becomes a college of the university and that DCU will become the sole accrediting body for all CICE’s undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes.

Significant milestones have been set out in a chart which reflects both the scale of work involved and expected timings in the DCU Incorporation Programme. 



DCU’s Research Support Office is recruiting two Research Support Officers (RSO) dedicated to the DCU Incorporation Programme. One RSO will have expertise in Education and the other will be supporting Humanities and Social Sciences.

To provide immediate support for the development of research collaborations and networks within the Institute, a research fund of €45,000 has been established to encourage and seed joint projects, publications and events over the next three years.

A new research support scheme for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences was launched earlier this month. The scheme is jointly supported by DCU, St. Patrick’s College and Mater Dei Institute.

The Incorporation Board met on Friday, 19th December for its final meeting of 2014 during which the successful delivery of multiple outputs across all Workstreams was highlighted and acknowledged by the Chair.

The outline of the combined academic calendar 2015/2016 was approved by SPD, DCU & MDI academic councils at the end of 2014.

A new programme - the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECE) - has recently been accredited.

A staff engagement process will be carried out across the four institutions to encourage and facilitate discussion around the opportunities and challenges that may arise throughout the DCU Incorporation Programme.