HEAnet is the national research and education network (NREN) of the Republic of Ireland. It provides high-speed internet connectivity and shared ICT services to schools, further education bodies, higher education institutions and research organisations in Ireland.
HEAnet was formed in 1983 as a collaborative endeavour between member institutions and was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee in 1997. In 2026, HEAnet and EduCampus announced that they had merged to form a unified organisation called Asiera, short for Advancing Services for Irish Education, Research and Academia. The merger took effect on 31 December 2025.
Network and services
HEAnet's national education network connects Irish education and research users to the internet and to international research networks, including through Ireland's connection to GÉANT. HEAnet states that the network supports more than 1.3 million students and researchers and over 175,000 staff across schools, education and training boards, and higher education institutions in Ireland. HEAnet describes the network as consisting of optical, IP and MPLS layers, with services delivered across one or more of these layers.
Schools network
HEAnet supports the Schools Broadband Programme, working with the Department of Education and Oide Technology in Education. The programme provides broadband connectivity, content filtering and security services, including a centralised firewall, to schools in Ireland. In 2024, HEAnet announced that it had completed the connection of high-speed internet access to more than 1,000 primary schools, exceeding an original target of 990 schools. The project provided those primary schools with a minimum connectivity level of 100 Mbps.
History
HEAnet began operation in 1983 as a collaborative network between Irish higher education institutions.
From 1993 to 1997, HEAnet was managed by UCD Computing Services under contract. In 2017, it announced the rollout of Ireland's first national 100 Gbps network for the education and research sector.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, HEAnet procured laptops for students and launched the eduroam Everywhere project. The mirror site later displayed a notice stating that ftp.heanet.ie had stopped operations.
Conferences
HEAnet has organised an annual conference for Ireland's education and research technology community. In 2014, it hosted the TERENA Networking Conference in Dublin. The 2024 HEAnet Conference programme included topics such as cybersecurity, collaboration tools, strategy, digital transformation, identity and research.
Governance
Asiera is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity with the Charities Regulatory Authority. Its board is responsible for leading and directing the organisation's activities and follows the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies to the extent practicable. At the end of 2025, EduCampus was absorbed into Asiera under a merger by absorption, with all assets and liabilities transferred to Asiera as the parent company.