Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology in Ireland

GMIT will provide our students with a transformative university experience, empowering our graduates to fully contribute to the social, economic, and cultural betterment of society. We aim to invest in excellent applied learning, teaching, and research environments, reflecting the real needs of business, enterprise, and the professions in our region. We aim to be a preferred partner for research and an enterprise innovator that attracts, supports, and encourages students and staff from all over the world, enabling them to reach their full potential. In the 1960s, Ireland was characterized by a small elite system of higher education, catering almost exclusively for professional and public sector employment. 

The Mulcahy Report (1967) recommended the establishment of a number of Regional Technical Colleges around the country, highlighting that Irish people generally did not have the opportunity to become technically skilled because of the prevalent academic bias in the educational system. Increased technical knowledge and skills were regarded as essential prerequisites for further economic growth as was the promotion of innovation and enterprise. 

The Mulcahy Report recommended that the Regional Technical College in Galway be designated as the main center outside Dublin for both craft and management education and training for the hotel industry. 

The first students entered the Regional Technical College Galway on Monday 18 September 1972 and a new era in the educational history of the city and region began.