League of European Research Universities (LERU). It is the first and only university on the island of Ireland to become a member. In May 2018, Prendergast unveiled plans for a new €60 million Institute in Engineering, Environment and Emerging Technologies (E3), funded by an Irish philanthropic donation and Government funding, and the E3 Learning Foundry is now under construction in the university. The renovation of the magnificent Old Library of Trinity College, with a €25m contribution announced by government Minister Darragh O’Brien of Fianna Fail, is also going ahead. However it is not known if a more a more controversial project to develop a new campus announced as Trinity East with the Grand Canal Innovation District will proceed. In April 2019, Prendergast gave a wide-ranging interview to the music magazine Hot Press. He was involved in several controversies, most notably over branding and "Take Back Trinity", a student movement to resist commercialisation within the university. He was often accused of being out of touch with student and staff concerns. Despite this he wrote a monthly article for the Irish Times on Higher Education espousing his views on how Irish higher education should develop, one of which proposed a Cabinet Minister and associated Department for Higher Education. This idea, considered far-fetched at the time, was implemented by the new Taoiseach Micheál Martin, his main change in the new government formation. Prendergast gave his last speech as Provost to Northern Ireland alumni advocating special measures for NI students not to have to pay the non-EU fee post-Brexit. The students’ final assessment of Prendergast was probably a good summary: “His trademark lack of regard for the on-the-ground effects of his decisions had a certain nobility to it. One may disagree with them, but at least there was no pretence of consensus building”. Chairperson and Board memberships Prendergast has a number of chairperson roles that bring him to public attention. In February 2022 he was appointed by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris as the Chairperson of the South East Technological University, a new university in Ireland. In this capacity he made some comments to the national media about student accommodation which has critical comment by architects. He was a member of the Board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (headquarters Budapest) for eight years. He is currently Chairperson of the Board of the Douglas Hyde