Simon Harris working with UU and DfE on framework for delivery of £45m Magee College teaching block

Simon Harris described the Magee College campus in Derry as a ‘huge opportunity’ and acknowledged how Derry has been ‘underserved as regards education for so many years’.

"The Magee campus provides us with a huge opportunity. Magee now has a medical school. Derry has been underserved as regards education for so many years. We know that. It is a city larger than other cities on this island which had a much smaller student population.

"Expanding the campus provides real opportunities for north-west collaboration. I was in Letterkenny recently and I know that the people there are very excited about the opportunities for Atlantic Technological University and Magee to interlock and work together on a cross-Border basis,” he remarked.

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science said his Department is responsible for the implementation of the new £45m teaching block at Magee that is to be built over a four-to-five-year timescale.

“Ulster University, UU, has committed to providing 15 per cent of that cost, while the Department of the Taoiseach has committed to funding the balance, up to a limit of €44 million, from the shared island fund. As the project progresses over that time, moneys from that fund will be transferred into my Department's Vote.

“Officials in my Department are working with the senior management team in Ulster University, as well as officials in the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland, to establish an appropriate framework to oversee the delivery of this complex cross-Border capital project,” said the Fine Gael minister.

Mr. Harris said he hoped to visit Derry and Belfast before the end of the current calendar year.

Sinn Féin Deputy Mairéad Farrell compared the level of third level provision in Derry to that of Galway.

“I am from Galway, and anytime I am in Derry I always think they are very similar cities. The benefit a strong university town can have for everybody across the city is really powerful.

"I therefore welcome this funding and the expansion in the form of the new teaching block. I would be interested to hear, though, exactly how that will work out and what it will entail,” said the Galway West T.D.

Mr. Harris noted how Magee College is projected to grow to over 6,500 students within the next three years but acknowledged that its expansion is constrained by the existing infrastructure.

"As regards the project at Magee, the current enrolment number on UU's Derry campus is 5,227 students. I am informed that, with planned programme offerings, it is estimated that planned growth using existing infrastructure can reach only 6,000.

"As part of its campus master plan, increasing UU's estate infrastructure is a prerequisite to growing student numbers, and UU envisages a staged growth to 6,560 students at the Derry campus by September 2026.

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