The government has announced an annual stipend of €2 million. For third-level students in Northern Ireland who might otherwise be unable to pursue possibilities for international study owing to Brexit.

It would be a continuous commitment, according to Simon Harris, minister of higher and further education.

Civic leaders in Northern Ireland addressed the issue of Northern Ireland students losing access to the Erasmus+ programme during the Brexit process. It supports staff and student studies at a higher education institution abroad.

The Government promised to protect Northern Ireland students' ability to study in Europe in October 2020, and today's proposal satisfies that commitment.

In the upcoming year, some 2,000 Northern Irish students are anticipated to take advantage of the chance; a third will attend Queen's University and the majority will attend the University of Ulster.

If students in Northern Ireland choose to use this option, or until a different mobility model is developed, this promise is permanent, Harris said.

“It is a cost of around €2m a year based on the current numbers of students in Northern Ireland, accessing Erasmus.”

“This is an investment in relationships between North and South. It is an investment in our island's next generation, and I think it's a practical sensible way of continuing to co-operate post-Brexit.”

To ensure that preparations are made in time for the start of the new academic year in September, officials will clarify arrangements with Northern Ireland's institutions in the upcoming weeks.