One of Ireland’s most prestigious universities is bankrolling a state-of-the-art science centre with millions in donations from China.
The Epoch Times can reveal that Dublin City University (DCU) has received over €4 million from secret Chinese sources towards its Polaris project through the country’s now-defunct Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP).
The cash-for-visa scheme—which campaigners say was “hijacked” by China—allowed wealthy foreign investors outside the European Union (EU) to have residency in Ireland in return for huge investments.
The Irish government abruptly ended the decade-old scheme in February following EU concerns the scheme posed a security risk.
Of the thousands of wealthy foreigners who benefited from Irish, and then subsequent EU, residency—90 percent were from China.
30 Donations
The Epoch Times asked DCU how many donations over €10,000 it had received from Chinese entities or individuals between 2017 and 2022.It responded by stating it has received 27 donations from sources in China towards its Polaris Capital Project.
That included ten donations of €40,000, six donations of €400,000, four donations of €200,000 and a further four of €100,000.
Three separate donations of €123,000, €123,000 and €155,000 were also received.
No dates were given for when the funds were received, and the university refused to reveal the name of the donors, citing a number of exemptions including privacy and commercial reasons.
The university said it could also impact on securing future funding from donors.
“While €24 million of funding was granted by the Higher Education Authority, the balance was funded by the university through philanthropy and loan finance.”
Applicants to Ireland’s former golden visa scheme—set up in the aftermath of the 2008 Irish banking crisis—were required to have a personal wealth of at least €2 million, and were expected to donate at least €500,000 to philanthropic projects.
Figures released by the Irish Department of Justice last year revealed that more than 1,500 Chinese millionaires received residency since the start of the scheme, according to the Irish Independent.
Huawei Investment
The university told The Epoch Times that its 10,000 square metres Polaris facility will have the capacity to accommodate over 3,000 additional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students on the university’s Glasnevin campus.The building will include a “Human Performance Lab” focused on high-performance sports research, a “Life Lab” to help students develop improved health literacy, and a “Movement Lab” that will use state-of-the-art indoor sports facilities to “help the local community access data analytics and visualisation techniques.”
DCU added, “It is designed to break down disciplinary boundaries and to support collaboration across subjects and between groups, inside and outside the university.”
It is not clear if those individuals or companies who have made huge donations towards the project have any influence over, or gain any benefits, from the facility, set for completion in 2024.
“There should be no problem with anyone wanting to contribute to advancing Ireland’s education, research and facilities, that’s a good thing,” he told The Epoch Times.
“Would we be concerned if those donations came from French or Swiss or Spanish donors? And the answer is probably not, because those countries don’t threaten our national security.
“Those countries don’t interfere in our internal politics, those countries don’t run Confucius Institutes that intimidate students or nor do they have United Front activists threatening mainland Chinese students, Hong Kongers, Tibetans or Uyghurs.”
Sabah, who this week met with Irish politicians surrounding Chinese Communist Party influence in the country, said China is known for threatening education systems.
He questioned whether Chinese funders were donating cash to universities such as DCU independently or “part of a greater strategy.”
“If the donations are coming in as part of that investors visa scheme, then that investor visa scheme has overwhelmingly been hijacked in a very clearly coordinated plan,” he said.
“And so these massive investments have given people visas, giving people the right to stay in Ireland to bring their children to be educated there, but we don’t know where the money comes from. And we don’t know what the ulterior motive is.”
Sabah said there was also an issue of security surrounding the funding of research grants by Chinese sources.
Debate Planned
Following meetings in Dublin with Sabah last week, Fianna Fáil Senator Malcolm Byrne has now tabled a debate on China’s influence in Ireland including ownership of land, companies and businesses.“In light of the recent very thoughtful speech by the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Micheál Martin, on Ireland’s relationship with China, it is appropriate that we would hold another debate in this House on that question.”
Ireland closed its IIP scheme four months ago, with then Irish Justice Minister Simon Harris saying it had been “under review” for some time.
He told the Irish senate that since its inception, the IIP had approved an investment of almost €1.252 billion, “which has benefited many enterprises.”
“However, it is important that we keep all programmes under review, including any implications for wider public policy, such as the continuing appropriateness and suitability of this programme for cultural, social, and economic use.
“We have also taken on board a number of reports and findings from international bodies such as the EU Commission, the Council of Europe and the OECD on similar investment programmes,” he said.
