Queen's University seeks to expand its £6.3m digital research facility at Titanic Quarter

Queen's University seeks to build a new wing at its £6.3m Titanic IT research facility.

Queen's University Belfast is seeking to expand the scope of its research with a new four-storey expansion bid for the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology (ECIT) building at Catalyst Inc, previously known as the Northern Ireland Science Park.

This extension would add 31,500sq ft to the existing three-storey, 41,000sq ft complex and would cater to around 100 people. The extension is being designed by US multinational engineering firm AECOM, the company behind the One World Trade Center in New York. The plan proposes a central glass tower for the new extension.

The plan includes provision for new shared meeting spaces, open plan offices, a teaching laboratory that can cater to 50 people, and a hybrid lab and server room.

In support of the application, AECOM stated: "Whilst providing an important R&D facility, it is clear however that the existing ECIT building needs to expand in order to accommodate the institute's future plans. Over the next five years ECIT has ambitious growth figures for both academic and research staff and their current facility, which is approximately 14 years old, is not capable of accommodating the additional numbers."

In complement to the expansion, Queen's University announced last month a £500,000 investment for a new cybersecurity research lab within the building as part of the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT).

Source: Belfast Telegraph; application first reported by Future Belfast