Belfast’s £40m Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology

Belfast City Council has granted planning approval for the Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology (CDHT), which aims to establish Northern Ireland as a leader in medical technology.

The £40m (US$50m) innovation hub is led by Ulster University and backed through the Belfast Region City Deal and will be located next to the university’s Belfast campus.

The project will include a bespoke Open Innovation Centre and Community Living Lab in Belfast, working together with the city’s healthcare trust.

Professor Paul Bartholomew, Vice-Chancellor of Ulster University, says: “This is a step forward in delivering a major development in medtech for Northern Ireland.

“As a co-investor, the University welcomes this planning approval, which allows us, with our partners, to progress a transformative project that will strengthen multidisciplinary research, deepen partnerships with the NHS and industry and provide our students and graduates with exceptional opportunities.

“CDHT will further establish Belfast and Northern Ireland as a globally recognised centre of excellence for digital healthcare research and innovation and will complement our research and teaching in the School of Medicine in Derry~Londonderry and our Biomedical Sciences Research Institute in Coleraine.”

A new hub for digital healthcare innovation

The project involves establishing dedicated Clinical Living Labs within the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, which will create an ecosystem that supports innovation from research through to real-world clinical adoption.

The new facilities aim to provide end-to-end support for researchers developing next-generation medical technologies, from early-stage concept and prototyping through to clinical validation and commercialisation.

The CDHT will bring together clinicians, academic researchers, entrepreneurs and industry partners to accelerate new technologies from the laboratory to patient care.

Professor James McLaughlin CBE, Director of the Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology, says: “This is a hugely important milestone for the establishment of the CDHT facility and for the wider life and health sciences sector in Northern Ireland.

“With planning approval now secured, we can move forward in delivering a truly world-class facility that brings together clinicians, researchers and industry under one roof.

“CDHT will accelerate innovation, help transform patient care and ensure that ideas developed here in Belfast can be scaled to make a global impact.”

Strengthening medtech research

The CDHT’s co-located model is designed to improve collaboration, business development and foreign direct investment while strengthening connections between academia, industry, clinicians, government agencies and patients.

The centre will combine expertise across engineering, data science and clinical practice, with specialist capabilities including AI, surgical robots, diagnostics, imaging, data analytics and simulations.

Investment in the facility is expected to contribute to economic growth, employment and enhanced skills development in the region while delivering improved patient outcomes.

Professor Brian Meenan, Associate Dean for Research & Innovation at Ulster University, says: “The approval of planning permission for CDHT is a clear demonstration of the Belfast Region City Deal in action, turning ambition into delivery.

“This project represents more than £40m (US$50m) of investment in our regional innovation economy and will create a powerful platform for collaboration between universities, industry and healthcare partners.

“It will drive productivity, attract inward investment and create high-value jobs while placing Belfast at the forefront of digital healthcare innovation.”

Backing from the UK Government

The UK Government is contributing £34m (US$43m) towards the CDHT as part of its wider £350m (US$444m) investment in the Belfast Region City Deal.

Economy Minister, Dr Caoimhe Archibald, says: “Reaching this milestone reflects the commitment of Ulster University and its partners to delivering a cutting edge innovation centre for Life and Health Sciences.

“Growing this sector is a key priority of mine, and CDHT – one of the flagship Belfast Region City Deal investments – marks an exciting step forward in strengthening digital healthcare and MedTech innovation in the north.”

Construction at the Frederick Street site is expected to progress following the completion of a formal competitive construction tender process, marking the next step in delivering one of the region’s most significant healthcare innovation facilities.