Trinity College Dublin has decided to close the Science Gallery.
The university declined to comment on the move but it is understood that staff were informed of the decision this afternoon.
The gallery effectively reopened from Covid-19 lockdown restrictions with an exhibition called Bias, which opened on October 22nd.
The gallery is expected to permanently close on February 28th, according to a report in the Business Post.
First opened in 2008, the Science Gallery is a venue for exhibitions and lectures on science and technology.
The gallery’s cafe was also a popular meeting spot for students, academics and locals, and it also operated a shop. The cafe and shop are both currently closed.
Trinity’s financial statements for the year to the end of September 2020 show the gallery earned income of €552,000, down from €592,000 a year earlier.
A team of 16 is listed on the website, led by acting director Gerard McHugh.
The venue was also part of Science Gallery International (SGI), a related entity that involved galleries in seven other locations around the world. Last year Trinity made payments of €254,825 to SGI and received €183,350 for services provided to SGI.
The gallery’s first chairman was successful entrepreneur Chris Horn.
When asked for his reaction to news of the closure, Mr Horn told The Irish Times: “It is one of extreme disappointment. The Science Gallery’s mission was to encourage uptake of science and engineering as career opportunities for teenagers, by encouraging science and engineering academics, graduates and postgraduates to engage with the public about their work and enthusiasm.
“Some have become quite well-known as a result – Prof Luke O’Neill and Prof Aoife McLysaght being examples. The gallery has done much to raise Trinity College, and indeed Ireland’s profile worldwide, as a place of innovation.”
