Construction will commence following the completion of a formal construction tender process.
Ulster University has received planning approval for a major new innovation hub for medtech and digital healthcare.
With approval granted from the Belfast City Council, the £40m Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology (CDHT) is set to be an open innovation centre and a community living lab adjacent to the University’s Belfast campus.
It will be situated alongside already existing clinical living labs within the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.
Together, these facilities are set to help innovators develop next-generation medical technologies – from ideating and prototyping, all the way through to clinical validation and commercialisation.
Ulster University expects the Centre to attract experts across engineering, data science and clinical practice, co-locating academicians along with industry partners and entrepreneurs to accelerate medtech commercialisation.
The CDHT will offer surgical robotics, tools for diagnostics, data analytics, design and simulation, as well as imaging and vital signs monitoring. Construction will commence following the completion of a formal construction tender process.
The UK government has invested £34m into the CDHT as part of its wider £350m investment in the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD). The BRCD funding programme aims to secure £1bn in co-investment to boost development across sectors and create jobs in the region.
“This is a step forward in delivering a major development in medtech for Northern Ireland,” said Prof Paul Bartholomew, the vice-chancellor of Ulster University.
“As a co‑investor, the University welcomes this planning approval, which allows us, with our partners, to progress a transformative project that will strengthen multidisciplinary research, deepen partnerships with the NHS and industry, and provide our students and graduates with exceptional opportunities.
He said that CDHT will further establish Belfast and Northern Ireland as a globally recognised centre of excellence for digital healthcare research and innovation and will complement Ulster University’s research and teaching in the School of Medicine in Derry and the Biomedical Sciences Research Institute in Coleraine.
Northern Irish economy minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald added: “Reaching this milestone reflects the commitment of Ulster University and its partners to delivering a cutting edge innovation centre for Life and Health Sciences.
“Growing this sector is a key priority of mine, and CDHT – one of the flagship Belfast Region City Deal investments – marks an exciting step forward in strengthening digital healthcare and medtech innovation in the north.
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