Professor Deirdre Heenan, Dean of Academic Development at Magee, briefed the Belfast-based Consul General and her deputy, Kevin Roland, on major expansion plans for the Londonderry campus and their potential impact for North West regeneration.
“I was particularly delighted to be able to welcome them to the campus just when Derry has been shortlisted for UK Capital of Culture 2013. The University’s development plans for Magee mirror the energy and innovation that infuse the city of culture initiative.
"The campus already has a huge input to the cultural life of the city as a sponsor and centre of excellence in performance and research in creative arts such as music, dance and drama, and in nurturing creative and cultural industries.
"I was able to tell the Consul General that the University is whole-heartedly supporting the bid and is committed to helping shape Derry’s success as confident and comfortable city, a city of culture and a knowledge city.
"The diplomats showed a keen interest in the city’s regeneration plans and it was an honour to welcome them to the campus. They said they would like to return for a more in-depth visit and I look forward to updating them further then.”The Consul General and her deputy, who were accompanied by Mr Mark Durkan MP, later visited 8 over 8, a company that provides contract management solutions, which is based on the Magee campus.
They then travelled to the grounds of Altnagelvin Hospital to tour C-TRIC, a pioneering facility that was co-founded by University staff base at Magee which is translating clinical research into technologies for the marketplace. The other organizations involved in the successful C-TRIC initiative are Western Health and Social Care Trust, Derry City Council, ILEX and Invest Northern Ireland.