Queen's University Belfast has announced that it's been selected to become part of a new regional consortium focusing on the Health and Life Sciences sector.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced the creation of the new Northern Ireland Precision Biomarkers and Therapeutics Consortium (NIPBT), which will aim to enhance collaborations between industry and academia in the Health and Life Sciences sector across Northern Ireland.
Queen's University is one of 17 UK groups invited to lead development of a new consortia in their respective regions. The 17 groups are located all across the UK, with participating universities including the University of Nottingham in England and Cardiff University in Wales. It will join up with industrial partners such as Seagate Technology Ireland and Lucideon Group Ltd.
Each region has been given up to £50k in R&D funding to develop a proposal that will help to build on local strengths in academia and industry to create high-value jobs in the MedTech and Life Sciences fields. The consortia will then be able to apply for a further £10-50m in funding each from UKRI in late autumn this year to bring the projects forward as part of the Strength in Places Fund.
Queen's University is developing the Northern Ireland Precision Biomarkers and Therapeutics Consortium focusing on the region's existing industry and research partners in the digital health, diagnostics, and pharmaceutical industries. It will involve partners such as Almac Group, Fusion Antibodies, Sonrai Analytics, ProAxsis Limited, Diaceutics, and Exploristics, with the goal of developing new, more cost-effective targeted drugs and antibodies.
Professor Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor at Queen’s University, commented on the announcement: "The Consortium is an excellent opportunity for us and our partners to bring together our collective knowledge and expertise and is an endorsement of the groundbreaking developments taking place in the life and health sciences sector in Northern Ireland. This Consortium has the potential to positively impact patient care by discovering new ways of diagnosing cancer and other conditions, both locally and globally, as well as driving growth in Northern Ireland through innovation and the development of skills to meet the needs of our economy."
Source: UKRI Announcement, QUB Announcement
