Trinity College Board Accepts Recommendations on Israel Links from Taskforce Report
The final meeting of Trinity College Dublin’s Board for the 2024–25 academic year has resulted in a significant decision regarding the institution’s relationships with Israeli entities, following the submission of a report from the Taskforce on Academic and Institutional International Links and Related Matters.
The Taskforce was established in October 2024 in response to a Board-approved resolution statement made after last year’s encampment protest on campus. Chaired by former President of the High Court, Mary Irvine, the Taskforce brought together a broad group of members and met 14 times over the past year. It reviewed extensive evidence and received 77 submissions from the College community.
With the submission of its final report, the Taskforce has now concluded its work. Paul Farrell, Chairperson of the Board, expressed gratitude to Mary Irvine and the Taskforce members for their “significant time and expertise” in examining the complex issues under their remit.
The Board has accepted a number of recommendations in the report relating specifically to Trinity’s institutional ties with the State of Israel, Israeli universities and companies. These measures are to be enacted for the duration of ongoing violations of international and humanitarian law and will be kept under review.
The decisions include:
Investments: Trinity will fully divest from all companies headquartered in Israel. This follows previous divestment from companies on the UN Blacklist.
Suppliers: The College currently has no supply contracts with Israeli companies. It will not enter into any such contracts in the future.
Commercial Relationships: While existing intellectual property-related contracts will remain in place, Trinity will not enter into new commercial agreements with Israeli entities.
Academic Ties: The College has two active Erasmus+ exchange agreements with Israeli universities, used solely for inbound exchanges since September 2023. No new agreements will be established.
Research Collaborations: Trinity is involved in EU-funded research projects with Israeli partners, none of which are linked to violations of international law. While the College will remain part of these current agreements, it will not join any new institutional research collaborations involving Israeli partners. Furthermore, the College will seek to align with like-minded universities to influence EU policy on Israel’s involvement in such programmes.
Although the Board has accepted these specific recommendations, other structural elements of the report will now be reviewed by relevant College committees with a focus on governance. The Board expects to revisit the full report for final consideration later this year.
Members of the College community with questions about the report or its implications are encouraged to contact the Senior Dean at sdean@tcd.ie.
