Maynooth University opens the National Centre for Inclusive Higher Education (NCIHE)

Maynooth University (MU), a member of the Arqus Alliance, has officially launched the National Centre for Inclusive Higher Education (NCIHE), Ireland’s first national centre dedicated to promoting equity, inclusion, and access in higher education. This milestone reflects not only MU’s longstanding commitment to widening participation but also the broader vision of Arqus to build more inclusive and socially engaged European universities.

The new Centre will be led by award-winning academic, advocate, and author of Poor, Katriona O’Sullivan. Its mission is to develop evidence-based solutions to reduce inequalities and expand opportunities across Ireland’s higher education sector.

The NCIHE aims to become a national hub for sharing and strengthening equity and inclusion initiatives already underway in Irish universities and colleges, inspired by comparable models such as TASO in the UK or the Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success or ACSES.

Speaking about the launch, Centre Director O’Sullivan said: “At Maynooth University, we have always believed that equity, empowerment, and excellence go hand in hand. The launch of this Centre is our commitment to proving — through evidence and action — that equity strengthens the whole system.”

Maynooth University has a long history of widening participation and supporting underrepresented learners through initiatives such as Turn to Teaching, College Connect, the Mountjoy Prison Education Project, and the STEM Passport for Inclusion.

Welcoming the NCIHE, MU President Eeva Leinonen said: “The creation of the National Centre for Inclusive Higher Education is a proud moment for Maynooth University. It reflects our belief that universities should be engines of inclusion – where equity, excellence, and evidence work together to drive real change. Building on more than two decades of leadership in widening participation here at Maynooth, I look forward to the real impact this Centre will have on higher education in Ireland and beyond.”

Centre Director Katriona O’Sullivan added: “At Maynooth University, we have always believed that equity, empowerment, and excellence go hand in hand. The launch of this Centre is our commitment to proving — through evidence and action — that equity strengthens the whole system.”

The launch event took place at Maynooth University and was addressed by Colm O’Reardon, Secretary General of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science.

It also featured a keynote address by Penny Jane Burke, Director of the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education at the University of Newcastle, Australia, followed by a panel discussion.

Burke, who also leads the UNESCO Chair in Equity, Social Justice and Higher Education, commented: “The establishment of the National Centre for Inclusive Higher Education is significant in demonstrating how higher education can create inclusive spaces that generate and sustain collective advocacy and agency for transformative equity and social justice that serve our communities. I am honoured to be part of the launch for this important new Centre and to support its vision and goals for the future.”