Tipperary Institute

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Tipperary Institute


Motto:	To promote sustainable rural social & economic development in the region served by the Institute
Established:	1998
President:	Padraig Culbert
Staff:	ca. 150
Location:	Thurles, Republic of Ireland
Website:	http://www.tippinst.ie

Tipperary Institute (TI) is a college of higher education, development agency and research centre in County Tipperary, Ireland.^[1] Founded by the Irish Government in 1998, it opened two campuses in Thurles and Clonmel in September 1999. An Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, officially inaugurated the institute on 7th April 2000.^[2] The college was originally known as the Tipperary Rural and Business Development Institute (TRBDI); this remains its legal name, while Tipperary Institute is its trading name.^[3]

The institute has three academic departments: Business, Information and Communications Technology and Rural Development. It is fully HETAC-accredited and offers National Framework of Qualifications Level 7 and Level 8 full-time degree courses, as well as a number of part-time and evening courses.^[4] TI is the only centre of education in Europe which integrates third level education with rural and business development programmes.^[5]^[6]