Queen’s University Belfast has awarded Graham a £39m construction contract to build two new state-of-the-art buildings beside the Belfast City Hospital as part of the planned 8,500m² iREACH Health facility.
Orla Carew, Queen’s BRCD Estates Programme Manager; Kevin McNaull, Director at Turner and Townsend; David Quinn, Executive Director of the Belfast Region City Deal at Queen’s; Cormac Maguire, iREACH Health Estates Manager; Gary Holmes, Regional Managing Director - Graham Building North; Professor Judy Bradley, Director of iREACH Health.
IREACH Health, a new £64m integrated clinical research innovation centre led by Queen’s University Belfast, will be developed in partnership with Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and Health and Social Care Research and Development Division. The project is funded by the Northern Ireland Executive and UK Government through the Belfast Region City Deal, and part funded by Queen’s University Belfast.
The innovation centre will provide major health, social, and economic benefits for Northern Ireland, making clinical trials more effective, efficient, and interconnected whilst supporting the improved health of the population. Over the lifetime of the project, it’s estimated more than 1000 direct and indirect jobs will be created alongside over £750m additional GDP for the region.
Professor Sir Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University, said: “For 180 years, Queen’s has been at the forefront of innovation, delivering major impact and benefits for people in our region and across the world. This spirit of innovation continues today through initiatives like iREACH Health, which will be transformational for our clinical trial ecosystem.”
“This new facility will enable groundbreaking clinical trial capability and ensure Northern Ireland remains at the forefront of life and health sciences, addressing some of the most pressing health challenges of our time.”
Professor Judy Bradley, Director of iREACH Health, commented: “The appointment of Graham marks a significant milestone in realising our vision for a revolutionary clinical trial research facility.”
“IREACH Health will harness Queen’s and Northern Ireland's research strengths and create a cutting-edge environment to improve patient outcomes, accelerate inclusive innovation, and support our health and life sciences sector in achieving local and global impact.”
To read more see the QUB website.