NEW ALLIANCE AIMS TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF HEALTH OF CITIZENS AND BOOST LOCAL ECONOMY  

06 June 2019

Queen’s University Belfast, in collaboration with Ulster University and key Northern Ireland partners, have launched the ‘Health Innovation Research Alliance Northern Ireland’ (HIRANI).

This new alliance will help drive and support ambitious growth in the Life and Health Sciences Sector in Northern Ireland.

The alliance was announced yesterday (Wednesday 5 June) in Philadelphia at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) International Convention, one of the largest international Health and Life Sciences conferences.

The HIRANI is an alliance between both universities, health organisations and other industry bodies across Northern Ireland. It brings together academia, healthcare and business to promote collaboration, investment and growth, and is supported by Invest NI, Public Health Agency, HSC R&D Office, the Department of Health (DoH) and Department for the Economy (DfE).

Commenting on the launch, Dr Rob Grundy (pictured right), HIRANI Chief Executive Officer said: “The establishment of HIRANI gives us a unique opportunity to articulate the strengths we have in Northern Ireland to a global audience of collaborators and customers.

“It will offer a platform for collaboration across the sector in Northern Ireland which will serve to amplify impact on a global scale.”

HIRANI will act as ‘one voice’ to enable the sector to collectively promote and strategically position itself nationally and internationally. It will do this by collaborating and connecting across business; capitalising on major opportunities; enabling innovation; tackling barriers to growth; and advocating for the health and wealth of the region and the citizens of Northern Ireland.

The ambition is that this increase in activity will result in a surge of economic activity across the sector. It is expected that this will significantly impact on the region’s prosperity and lead to an growth in the exposure of the Northern Irish population to cutting edge medical innovation which will have a direct impact on health and wellbeing.

Professor Ian Greer (left), Queen’s President and Vice-Chancellor said: “At Queen’s, we recognise that responsive, high-quality education, research and partnership are essential to ensure Northern Ireland continues to be innovative and globally competitive in the Health and Life Sciences sector.

“HIRANI elevates us to a new level to achieve this.”

UU Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Research and Impact, Professor Cathy Gormley-Heenan (centre) said: “At Ulster University, working with our partners in Queen’s and our network of industry and health organisations is a priority. Such collaborative working helps to deliver improved health and social care outcomes as
well as sustained economic growth for the region.

“This partnership will allow HIRANI to be the driving force for the development of the sector in Northern Ireland and beyond.”

To support medical research at Queen’s, please visit the Development and Alumni Relations Office website or contact Teresa Sloan, Head of Health Fundraising, telephone +44 (0)28 9097 5394. Medical queries arising out of this news story should be raised directly with a GP/consultant and not with DARO staff.

Media enquiries to Communications Office, telephone: +44 (0)28 9097 5292.

Headline photo credit: Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay.

 

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