I am delighted to be here today to open the new School of Pharmacy and Research Building for the Royal College of Surgeons on York Street.
Today’s opening marks another important milestone in developing the knowledge base that is critical to this country’s future growth and prosperity. Here within this building, you are providing the teaching, training and research necessary to drive ongoing innovation and learning across the medical sciences.
I know that the development of this project came about due to an agreement entered into between the Royal College of Surgeons and the Salvation Army, who had a hostel here on York Street. I commend you both on recognising the need for and potential of this site.
Originally established to educate surgeons, the Royal College today has developed a range of courses and research to meet with expanding national and international needs. The development of this building is firm evidence of your commitment to ensuring that advances in medical science are translated into real benefits in the area of health and patient care.
I would like to congratulate the design team, contractors and project team on the development of such a bright and modern building as part of the College campus. This building will certainly add immensely to the College’s landmark sites here in Dublin city centre. I would also like to pay tribute to the International Development Board under the chairmanship of Dermot Desmond for ensuring the private financing of this building. It is a pleasure to see so many members of the Board in attendance today.
I am delighted that the Government provided some €5.7million in funding under the HEA administered Programme for Research in the Third Level Institutions towards the capital costs of this building. Further funding was provided to equip the building bringing the total Exchequer contribution for this development to some €14 million.
The Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions represents a milestone in the State’s investment in research in higher education. It offers third level institutions an opportunity to build infrastructure and develop the careers of Ireland’s brightest researchers.
Along with other funding mechanisms through Science Foundation Ireland, the Health Research Board, the Irish Research Council for Science Engineering and Technology, the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences, and others such as Enterprise Ireland, a strong research system, with a vibrant base in the Irish third level sector, is being established in Ireland today.
Under the PRTLI programme, 17 research centres have been established to date, along with the Ussher library at TCD. An impact assessment of the programme published last July by the HEA, outlined how the PRTLI has marked “the beginning of a major and most beneficial transformation of the research landscape of Ireland that will help to install an innovation-driven economy.”
And, that innovation is certainly evident at the Royal College of Surgeons today. In particular, you have made great strides in recent years in terms of collaboration with other third-level institutions. Your role as the lead partner in the Programme for Human Genomics - one of the largest projects to be funded under PRTLI Cycle 3 – is testimony to this. Such collaboration enables the creation of a knowledge-base that extends well beyond the capacity of a single institution. This is important to counteract limitations of scale in the Irish system and will ensure that we remain to the forefront internationally in driving cutting edge research.
I am also delighted that the School of Pharmacy is located within this building. As you will all be aware, the pharmaceutical/chemical industry has been targeted by Government and the IDA as a key driver of industrial development in recent decades. This has led to Ireland becoming an attractive location for manufacturing by most of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Today, the aim is to secure enhanced value for the sector and the wider economy. And one of the key ways to achieve this is by encouraging the addition of development centres to existing operations and, where possible, to introduce or expand Research and Development functions. This goal is critically dependent on the availability of appropriate professional graduate employees in a range of science and health science areas, including pharmacy.
And with its emphasis on education, training and research, the School of Pharmacy is well placed to meet this demand. I am particularly delighted to hear that the first class in the Masters in Industrial Pharmaceutical Science, run in conjunction with the School of Science at the Institute of Technology, Sligo, graduated last month. I had the honour of launching that programme in 2003.
As I said at the start, the developments at the Royal College of Surgeons are both very positive and welcome. Today, you are ensuring the innovation and learning necessary to underpin a vibrant knowledge economy in Ireland
I wish you every success with this building and I look forward to hearing about your plans for further expansion and regeneration in York Street – of which I know there are many!
Thank you.
ENDS