§ Rev. Martin SmythTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the role of the Academy for Irish Cultural Heritages; and how it is funded. [173196]
§ Mr. GardinerThe Academy for Irish Cultural Heritages at the Magee campus of the University of Ulster is one of the centres of research excellence funded under round one of the Support Programme for University Research. The Department for Employment and Learning provides 50 per cent, of the total cost over the period of the programme, the other half being provided by the charitable organisation, Atlantic Philanthropies.
The role of the project is to conduct research of international excellence in the fields of History, Celtic Studies and English.