iREACH Health
iREACH Health is crucial to Northern Ireland fulfilling its ambition to be a global leader in Life and Health Sciences in the next decade, by creating a patient-centred, pro-innovation and digitally enabled clinical research environment.
iREACH Health is a £62m integrated clinical research centre led by Queen’s University Belfast in partnership with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and HSC R&D.
In March 2024 the project received full planning approval and work is due to start on site before the end of the year, and the innovation centre will open in 2027 on two sites beside Belfast City Hospital.
The Belfast Region City Deal project brings together innovators from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors to address major health challenges in priority areas and tackle inequalities, and to promote economic growth and prosperity, and better health for all.
iREACH Health will develop and test medicines, technologies and therapies for better clinical care outcomes for patients, who are at the heart of the vision.
We are bringing together the expertise of clinicians, life scientists and data scientists with experienced industry partners in an agile approach to clinical trial delivery.
We’re providing a connected and innovative environment for clinical trials for clinicians and patients by creating an ecosystem with increased capacity and improved capability.
We are creating unified capability for new product and pathway development by integrating current healthcare assets and academic and industry expertise with the NHS and government priorities.
iREACH Health is being co-developed with core partners and has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders on build and design. We’re engaging with potential anchor tenants and users of our facilities to ensure that they shape plans with huge potential.
We are working in partnership with local and global companies including Celerion - one of the world’s leading clinical research organisations in early phase research - and Belfast-based innovative analytics solutions experts Exploristics.
We’re working in partnership with patients and the wider public to ensure that iREACH Health activity meets their needs.
Through our Public Engagement Suite, which will include an events space open to all, we will engage with diverse groups to listen to their views on the use of data in our research.
Working at the interface of academic-industry R&D, we will deliver innovative clinical trials, efficiently and at scale to ensure sustainable growth in the Life and Health Sciences sector
We will drive economic development and ultimately deliver better health and wellbeing outcomes to people in Northern Ireland and beyond, while attracting and retaining talented staff.
Professor Judy Bradley is leading the transformation of the clinical trials infrastructure in Northern Ireland as Director of iREACH Health.
Judy has an international research profile in respiratory disease including leading major studies around COVID-19, cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis.
She is Director of the NI Clinical Research Facility (NICRF) and a co-lead of the Northern Ireland Clinical Research Network (NICRN)
iREACH Health will provide industry-leading facilities for unified clinical trials and research, while providing a more joined-up clinical research healthcare system in the Belfast Region.
The new facilities will be in a key location on the Lisburn Road, an arterial route into Belfast City Centre close to Queen’s University and Belfast City Hospital, with excellent transport connections.
Split over two buildings users will enjoy many benefits including:
Ground floor public engagement space
Business lounge and rooms with adjustable partitions to suit both meeting and conference requirements
Accessible external terrace with seating
Shared informal meeting/breakout areas and tea points throughout the buildings
A staffed reception area, high quality internal fit-out with bespoke joinery and finishes
External landscaped area with seating
Secure bike storage and changing facilities
FIND OUT MORE
To find out more about becoming a tenant at iREACH Health or for other enquiries about the project contact ireachhealth@qub.ac.uk