The new website includes information about the overall BRCD and the five innovation projects that the universities are developing.
The City Deal is a bespoke package of funding agreed between central government and the region, aimed at helping to harness additional investment, create new jobs and accelerate inclusive economic growth.
Ulster University and Queen’s University Belfast are key partners in the BRCD, along with the six local councils within the region, further education colleges, and the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Through an unprecedented collaborative approach, the universities are leading on the five innovation projects that fall within the ‘Innovation and Digital Cog’:
- The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC)
- The Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology (CDHT)
- The Screen and Media Innovation Lab (SMIL)
- The Global Innovation Institute (GII)
- The Institute for Research Excellence in Advanced Clinical Healthcare (I-REACH)
The innovation strand is about enabling the region to compete in the data-driven knowledge economy of the future through new open-source facilities for research and development.
The projects are designed to embed a culture of innovation in the region and act as catalysts for increased productivity.
Vice-Chancellor of Ulster University, Professor Paddy Nixon, said:
We welcome this unparalleled opportunity presented by the City Deal to achieve economic growth and prosperity for the Belfast Region and look forward to working together.
Commenting on the BRCD, Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University Belfast, Professor Ian Greer, said:
The Belfast Region has a once-in-a-generation opportunity through the City Deal to make interventions that will open up new innovation horizons and define our economic future. Queen's is committed to the new level of collaborative working this will require, within the Innovation strand, and across the various themes of the Deal.”
For more information please visit https://www.brcd-innovation.co.uk.