North West Tertiary Education Cluster welcomes the signing of the financial agreement for the very important City Deal & Inclusive Future Fund for Derry-Londonderry & Strabane which will be important for stimulating the economy in the North West City Region.
The key partners responsible for the delivery of the Derry~Londonderry and Strabane City Region City Deal, have welcomed today’s signing of the financial deal at the Guildhall, and reinforced their commitment to working collectively to deliver on the projects that will bring about growth, investment and prosperity for the region. Of the total funding, the UK Government has provided £50 million City Deal funding and £55 million via the Inclusive Future Fund, which has been match funded by the Northern Ireland Executive with contributions by Derry City and Strabane District Council and its project partners of £83 million.
The key delivery partners of the City Deal, led by Derry City and Strabane District Council, are the Ulster University, the Western Health and Social Services Trust, Clinical Translational Research and Innovation Centre (C-TRIC-Ltd) and the North West Regional College.
Among the strategic projects included in the investment package are plans to develop a new combined Cognitive Analytics and Digital Robotics Innovation Centre (CADRIC) at Ulster University; a new teaching and research accommodation at Ulster University’s School of Medicine and Personalised Medicine Centre, a teaching facility and new build extension at C-TRIC Ltd and a SMART/Digital City programme that will place the city at the leading edge of urban innovation, supporting the development of smart specialisations across a range of sectors and public service delivery.
Welcoming this important milestone, Professor Paul Bartholomew, Vice Chancellor of Ulster University said: “Ulster University, along with the Derry City and Strabane District Council, the NI Executive, the UK Government, and other delivery partners, have a relentless ambition to deliver growth, investment and prosperity for the North West region. Our shared commitment to this ambition is clearly demonstrated by the Derry-Londonderry and Strabane City Region City Deal and this is another significant milestone in our journey to ensuring that this region, and its people, see the economic and community benefits of our work. ”
Leo Murphy, Principal and Chief Executive of North West Regional College (NWRC) said: “Today’s signing of the Financial Deal at the Guildhall brings us another step forward to seeing major change in the North West with long term plans that will drive further investment in this City and District Region. At NWRC we are committed to working with our partners on City Deal which will be the largest ever investment in this region and move forward in key areas of development and innovation.
“I believe this will be a catalyst for change and bring us closer to becoming the place we need to be, as we strive to build the skills of people in our city and district.
“Proposals for the development of a replacement site for our Strabane Campus have the potential to make a significant contribution to the future socio-economic regeneration of the Strabane region. We must continue to work together to provide greater higher-level learning and career opportunities in the region.”