Ulster University and Dell Technologies have signed an agreement to deliver £85m of innovation support for the local medtech and creative industries as part of the Belfast City Deal.
The ambitious Belfast Region City Deal was announced back in April 2019 with plans to reach £850m of investment in the Northern Ireland economy and create up to 20,000 jobs. The massive 10-year scheme will involve the creation of several cutting-edge centres of innovation touching almost every sector of the tech economy, from manufacturing and digital healthcare centres to Screen and creative media labs.
Ulster University and Dell Technologies have now announced that they've signed a deal to work together to develop emerging technology in digital health and drive innovation the screen and media industry. The strategic partnership will see Dell Technologies take a prominent role in the new Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology, supporting the deployment of Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and Edge Computing tech in the field.
Dell is also to take on a significant role in the new Screen and Media Innovation Labs, providing access to the latest tech innovations in Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. This will help support Northern Ireland’s rapidly growing screen and creative media sectors, which saw success last year with the release of NI Screen's Pixel Mill game development incubator and the region's first ever seven-figure game development deal.
The partnership represents £85m of support for the deployment of emerging tech in these two rapidly growing fields of the Northern Ireland tech sector. As part of the deal, Dell will also sponsor two PhD researchers at Ulster University to focus on data analytics in healthcare and the digital transformation of Northern Ireland’s creative industries respectively.
Mark Hopkins, General Manager of Dell Technologies Ireland and Northern Ireland, said: "Today’s partnership will prove to be game changing for the capital. Through the use of AI, Edge Computing and other emerging technologies, we can help transform healthcare outcomes for patients, provide our creative industries with the digital tools to succeed and above all build a vibrant start-up ecosystem that delivers growth and jobs."
Ulster University Vice-Chancellor Professor Paddy Nixon commented on the announcement: "Our partnership with Dell Technologies will act as a catalyst to develop technology and advance research with impact locally, nationally and internationally. Ulster University’s world class researchers and facilities supported by Dell Technologies will deliver life changing health outcomes for patients and will transform the creative industries in Northern Ireland.”
Source: Written based on press release
