Simon Harris says he still believes the headquarters of the new Tech Uni will be in Waterford.
However, he says that decision will ultimately be down to the governing authority.
Speaking to WLR in February, Minister Harris said it would be "bonkers, mad and bizarre" for it to be anywhere but Waterford. More here.
The Higher Education Minister was asked the question again on a visit to the new South East Technological University campus in Waterford this morning:
"I expect that to be the case and I've been very clear when I was last on WLR in relation to my view as to where the headquarters should be. Legally that is a matter for the governing authority, and they will obviously work through all those issues in the coming weeks," he said.
In April, Minister Harris officially signed the order under the Technological Universities Act 2018 to establish the South East Technological University (SETU).
SETU is the amalgamation of WIT and IT Carlow.
Speaking to WLR News this morning Minister Harris said there would be more investment in the region as a result of the new university,
I want to be clear to the people of Waterford, that this will mean more investment here in Waterford. It will mean a physical expansion of the campus here in Waterford so we can have more students and more courses, also investing more in research in Waterford. There are huge opportunities to do more here between the new university and the business community.
Prof Veronica Campbell was last week ratified as President of the new university. Originally from Scotland, she's a former bursar and Director of Strategic Innovation at Trinity College.
SETU has campuses across the region in Waterford, Carlow, Wexford, Wicklow and Kilkenny. It currently has 18,000 students and employs over 1,500 staff with ambitions to grow.
It will officially celebrate its launch in September.
