Simon Harris working with UU and DfE on framework for delivery of £45m Magee College teaching block

Transcript

00:00 Following a Government decision in June, my Department is responsible for the management

00:03 of the implementation of this very exciting project in relation to the McGee campus of

00:09 Ulster University. This will see the construction of a new teaching block in the University of

00:13 Ulster Derry campus. The estimated cost is £45 million sterling over a four to five year time

00:19 scale. UU have committed to providing 15% of the cost, while the Department of the Taoiseach have

00:24 committed to funding the balance up to a limit of €44 million from the Shared Island Fund.

00:29 As the project progresses over that time, monies from the fund will be transferred into my

00:32 Department's vote. Officials in my Department are currently working with the senior management team

00:36 in Ulster University, as well as officials in the Department of the Economy in Northern Ireland,

00:40 to establish an appropriate framework to oversee the delivery of a complex cross-border capital

00:45 project, and I'll be visiting both Belfast and Derry before the end of the year. The positive

00:50 collaboration with Ulster University arising from the project has now led to further opportunities

00:55 for collaboration outside of this Shared Island initiative. Specifically, a separate opportunity

00:59 across the healthcare domain has now arisen, which has allowed me to secure additional places in

01:04 Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast in key therapies and nursing for students from

01:08 this jurisdiction. It's important to note that these are funded by both my Department and the

01:12 Department of Health, and I'm really pleased to actually be able to confirm to you today,

01:16 fresh off the presses, that we're going to seek further college places, ring-fenced for therapy

01:21 students this year, and we believe we'll actually be able to increase the number of places in this

01:24 academic year. We intend to go further next year with medicine places ring-fenced for students

01:29 from Ireland. This Magee campus, it just provides us with a huge opportunity. Magee now has a medical

01:35 school. Derry has been underserved in relation to education for so, so many years. We know that.

01:40 It's a city larger than other cities on this island, which had a much smaller student population.

01:45 But actually, by expanding the campus here, it provides real opportunities for Northwest

01:48 collaboration, and I was in Leather Kenny recently, and I know they're very excited

01:53 about the opportunities for the Atlantic Technological University and Magee to interlock

01:57 as well and work together on a cross-border basis.

01:59 Go raibh maith agat, Aaron. That is quite interesting, to be honest. Just in relation

02:04 to that new teaching block, what additionality does that entail? I'd be interested in hearing

02:10 about that. I actually always think that Galway and Derry are very similar cities, because obviously

02:16 I'm from Galway at any time. In Derry, I always think they're very similar cities, and the benefit

02:20 that a strong university town can have for everybody across the city is really, really powerful.

02:27 So I do welcome this initiative, this funding and the expansion in terms of that new teaching

02:36 block. I would be interested to hear, though, exactly how that works out and how that would entail.

02:41 In relation to this project at Magee, the current enrollment numbers on UU's Derry campus is 5,227

02:48 students, and I'm informed that with planned programme offerings, it's estimated that planned

02:52 growth using existing infrastructure can only reach 6,000. As part of its campus master plan,

02:57 increasing UU's estate infrastructure is a prerequisite to growing student numbers,

03:01 and UU envisages a staged growth to 6,560 students at the Derry campus by September 2026.