At a meeting today, the Governing Body of Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) approved the application for technological university designation.
A vote last week by academic staff at WIT rejected the terms of the merger, leading to concerns the process could be jeopardised.
In a statement this afternoon, they said the approval of the application is 'an exciting step towards the delivery of the technological university for the region'.
The WIT Governing Body said they would like to 'take this opportunity to thank all our community for their commitment and dedication to creating the region’s first university.
In a statement WIT said: "Today’s decision is not only supported by the strength of the application document but also our staff and students’ contribution to and engagement in workstreams, working groups and an impressive amount of ongoing TU project activities.
Today is a significant step on our journey to university designation. We must acknowledge this and be proud of all that we have achieved. We know that there is still more to do before we succeed in our goal and the institute is committed to continuing the robust engagement process to deliver the university this region has long-awaited.
A meeting of IT Carlow's governing body is set to determine the future of TUSE, however it's expected that the application will be submitted this week.
