The MTU will become the state's second technological university tomorrow, on January 1st.
The Munster Technological University, which was first mooted in 2009, is the amalgamation of the Institute of Technology Tralee and Cork Institute of Technology.
January 1st, 2021: the appointed day for the establishment of Munster Technological University.
It is due to operate on six major sites across Cork and Kerry and have a combined student population of approximately 17,000 students.
The merger was first proposed in 2009 and the first significant milestone was completed in 2013 with a joint submission to the Higher Education Authority.
In June 2014, it was planned to merge in August 2016, however, a number of issues such as delays in finalising legislation and international panel recommendations slowed progress.
Estimated costs exceeded earlier expectations, with Deloitte figures in 2019 showing it'll cost around €28 million.
In early December, the Minister for Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science, Simon Harris, formally signed the order to dissolve ITT and CIT.
Professor Maggie Cusack, who is from Glasgow, is to be appointed the first president of the MTU.
The order comes into effect on tomorrow, January 1st.