Planning Approval Granted for Ulster University’s Transformational Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology.
Belfast City Council has granted planning approval for the landmark Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology (CDHT), a major new innovation hub that will strengthen Northern Ireland’s position as a global leader in medical technology and digital healthcare.
Led by Ulster University and supported through the Belfast Region City Deal, the £40 million project will deliver a bespoke Open Innovation Centre and Community Living Lab on Frederick Street, adjacent to the university’s Belfast campus, alongside dedicated Clinical Living Labs within the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust.
Together, these facilities will provide end-to-end support to innovators developing next-generation medical technologies, from concept and prototyping through to clinical validation and commercialisation.
The Centre will bring together leading expertise across engineering, data science and clinical practice, co-locating academic researchers, clinicians, industry partners and entrepreneurs to accelerate the safe and efficient journey of innovations from the laboratory to patient care
Specialist capabilities will include artificial intelligence, surgical robotics, diagnostics, data analytics, design and simulation, imaging and vital signs monitoring.
The CDHT forms a core component of ambitions to establish Belfast as one of the best places in the world to design, develop and launch innovative medical devices and diagnostics, delivering economic growth, high-value employment, enhanced skills development and improved patient outcomes.
Professor Paul Bartholomew, Vice-Chancellor of Ulster University said:
“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.”
Professor James McLaughlin CBE, Director of the Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology, added:
“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.”
Professor Brian Meenan, Associate Dean for Research & Innovation, Ulster University, said the decision marked a major step for the Belfast Region City Deal programme:
“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 over £40 million 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.”
Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald added:
“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.”
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Matthew Patrick said:
“The Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology will ensure Ulster University, and Northern Ireland, remain at the cutting edge of medical technology innovation. I’m confident that this will lead to better outcomes for students and patients, and it’s great to see this progress on the UK Government’s £34m investment in the Centre, part of our wider £350m investment in the Belfast Region City Deal."
The CDHT ecosystem will operate as a collaborative ‘one-stop shop’ innovation cluster, supporting research collaboration, business development and foreign direct investment while enabling enhanced networking between academia, industry, clinicians, government agencies and patient cohorts.
Construction at the Frederick Street site is expected to progress following the completion of a formal competitive construction tender process.
For further information or interview requests, please contact: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk
