News

Bridging the gap between medicine and science through teaching future medics and facilitating cutting-edge research

Minister for Health, Mr Simon Harris TD will today (Monday, 2 July) officially open NUI Galway’s €34 million Human Biology Building, bringing together the existing disciplines of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology & Therapeutics at the University. The building will be home to undergraduate and post-graduate teaching and will carry out cutting-edge research by academics from throughout the campus in the areas of Science and Medicine, and Engineering.

The Human Biology Building, funded by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and NUI Galway will create a platform for discovery, development and delivery. It will also build on the output of NUI Galway’s cluster of world-leading biomedical research groups in areas such as regenerative medicine and stem cell research, cancer biology (particularly breast and prostate cancer) biomechanics and biomaterials.

Speaking at the opening, Minister for Health, Mr Simon Harris TD, said: “I’m delighted to officially open this building and its facilities, which will extend the capacity for and delivery of biomedical research at NUI Galway. NUI Galway researchers are tackling some of the most pressing issues of our times and the opening of this new building will, I hope, help to strengthen the university’s deserved international reputation as being amongst the very best in the provision of research-led education.”

Teaching

The Human Biology building has been designed and developed as a joint teaching and research facility to provide these long established disciplines of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology & Therapeutics, a platform to deliver:

• core pre-clinical teaching to Medical and allied Health Science students
• core teaching to Science, Biomedical Science and Engineering students
• provide a purpose-designed venue for discipline-specific training at undergraduate and postgraduate level
• and enhance learning and teaching within a research-led environment

There is currently teaching to over 200 medical undergraduates in the building along with transformative clinical teaching also taking place in state-of-the art laboratories. There are an additional 100 final year Science undergraduate students studying the three disciplines of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology & Therapeutics along with postgraduate students on taught masters programmes from areas of Science and Medicine.

Research

The building will house academics from various research groups on campus such as CÚRAM, REMEDI, School of Psychology, and Galway Neuroscience Centre. There are also PhD students working in the three disciplines of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology and Therapeutics through research funded by the Irish Research Council (IRC), Health Research Board (HRB), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and industry partners.

The opening of the Human Biology Building sees the completion of a capital projects programme undertaken by the University some decades ago, which was enabled by a combination of philanthropy and State support, while funding from the European Investment Bank, in its first ever loan to the University, assisted in the completion of this new building. In recent years the University has opened a new Engineering building, a new Biomedical Sciences building, and a unique clinical and translational research facility. Taken together these three facilities along with the new human biology building complete an ecosystem of education, research, innovation and healthcare in the West of Ireland.  

NUI Galway President, Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, said: “We are delighted to mark the opening of our new Human Biology Building, which will transform the learning environment for our health science students.  By having access to the best facilities, our students will be supported to realise their potential and make a real impact in their chosen field. Investment in education is vital for our regional development and continued funding is imperative so that our new buildings can be great places to learn, teach and research in. Our students compete with the best of the world and so must we.”

The Building

The Human Biology Building is a five-storey state-of-the-art building with a gross floor area of 8,200m².  It is strategically located in the University’s south campus with close proximity to University Hospital Galway.

The building has been developed on a previously developed site on which stood the former National Diagnostics Laboratory building. It was designed by award-winning architects, Scott Tallon Walker Architects, in conjunction with international design firm, Building Design Partnership, while BAM Building Ltd. was the contractor.

Professor Timothy O’Brien, Dean of the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at NUI Galway, said: ‘The Human Biology Building will provide the next generation of scientists, doctors and healthcare professionals with a world class learning environment and will also provide our academics and researchers with state of the art facilities to further the teaching and research mission of the University. The structure of the building is state of the art, will greatly facilitate enhanced interactions between staff and students, and will provide superior technical and operational capabilities that underpin a research and innovation intensive environment.”  

ENDS

Seolann an tAire Sláinte an tÁras Bitheolaíochta Daonna in OÉ Gaillimh

Ag líonadh na bearna idir an leigheas agus an eolaíocht trí liachleachtóirí na todhchaí a theagasc agus taighde ceannródaíoch a éascú

Bitheolaíochta Daonna €34 milliún OÉ Gaillimh inniu (Dé Luain, 2 Iúil), ina dtabharfar le chéile disciplíní na hAnatamaíochta, na Fiseolaíochta  agus na Cógaseolaíochta & Teiripe san Ollscoil. Tabharfar faoi theagasc fochéime agus iarchéime san áras agus déanfaidh acadóirí atá ag obair ar an gcampas trí chéile taighde ceannródaíoch ann i réimse na hEolaíochta agus an Leighis, agus na hInnealtóireachta.

Éascófar ardán d’fhionnachtain, forbairt agus seachadadh san Áras Bitheolaíochta Daonna, atá maoinithe ag an Údarás um Ard-Oideachas (HEA). Cuirfidh sé freisin leis an aschur ó na grúpaí taighde bithleighis is fearr ar domhan, a bhfuil braisle díobh in OÉ Gaillimh, i réimsí cosúil le leigheas athghiniúnach agus taighde gascheall, bitheolaíocht ailse (go háirithe ailse bhrollaigh agus phróstataigh), bithmheicnic agus bithábhair.

Ag caint dó ag an oscailt, bhí an méid seo a leanas le rá ag an Aire Sláinte, Simon Harris: “Tá an-áthas orm an t-áras seo agus a áiseanna a oscailt. Cuirfidh sé le cumas OÉ Gaillimh taighde bithleighis a dhéanamh agus a thabhairt chun críche. Tá taighdeoirí in OÉ Gaillimh ag dul i ngleic le roinnt de na saincheisteanna is tábhachtaí lenár linn agus tá súil agam, le hoscailt an árais nua seo, go láidreofar cáil idirnáisiúnta na hOllscoile mar áit ina bhfuil oideachas taighdebhunaithe ar ardchaighdeán á chur ar fáil.”

Teagasc

Dearadh agus forbraíodh an tÁras Bitheolaíochta Daonna mar áis taighde agus teagaisc araon chun go gcuirfear ardán ar fáil do dhisciplíní fadbhunaithe na hAnatamaíochta, na Fiseolaíochta  agus na Cógaseolaíochta & Teiripe chun na nithe seo a leanas a chur i gcrích:

• teagasc croíláir réamhchliniciúil a sholáthar do mhic léinn Leighis agus mic léinn Eolaíochtaí Sláinte gaolmhara
• teagasc croíláir a sholáthar do mhic léinn Eolaíochta, Eolaíochta Bithleighis agus Innealtóireachta
• ionad atá tógtha go speisialta a chur ar fáil d’oiliúint atá sonrach don disciplín ag leibhéal fochéime agus iarchéime
• agus cur le foghlaim agus teagasc laistigh de thimpeallacht atá á treorú ag taighde

Tá breis agus 200 fochéimí leighis á dteagasc faoi láthair san fhoirgneamh, agus tá teagasc cliniciúil bunathraitheach ar siúl sna saotharlanna nua-aoiseacha. Anuas air sin, tá 100 mac léinn fochéime Eolaíochta sa bhliain deiridh i mbun staidéir ar thrí dhisicplín na hAnatamaíochta, na Fiseolaíochta  agus na Cógaseolaíochta & Teiripe in éineacht le mic léinn iarchéime ar chláir mháistreachta mhúinte i réimse na hEolaíochta agus an Leighis.

Taighde

Beidh acadóirí ó ghrúpaí taighde éagsúla ar an gcampas lonnaithe san fhoirgneamh, leithéidí CÚRAM, REMEDI, Scoil na Síceolaíochta, agus Ionad Néareolaíochta na Gaillimhe. Tá mic léinn PhD ann freisin i mbun taighde i dtrí dhisicplín na hAnatamaíochta, na Fiseolaíochta  agus na Cógaseolaíochta & Teiripe, ar taighde é atá á mhaoiniú ag Comhairle Taighde na hÉireann (IRC), an Bord Taighde Sláinte (HRB), Fondúireacht Eolaíochta Éireann (SFI) agus ag comhpháirtithe tionscail.

Tá clabhsúr curtha ar chlár tionscadal caipitil na hOllscoile le hoscailt an Árais Bitheolaíochta Daonna, ar clár é ar tugadh faoi os cionn scór bliain ó shin agus ar tacaíodh leis trí dhaonchairdeas agus tacaíocht Stáit. Chabhraigh maoiniú ón mBanc Eorpach Infheistíochta, i bhfoirm a chéad iasachta riamh don Ollscoil, chun an foirgneamh nua seo a chríochnú. Le blianta beaga anuas, tá áras Innealtóireachta nua oscailte ag an Ollscoil, chomh maith le háras nua do na hEolaíochtaí Bithleighis, agus áis uathúil do thaighde aistritheach agus cliniciúil. Nuair a chuirtear le chéile na trí shaoráid seo in éineacht leis an áras bitheolaíochta daonna nua, tá mórchóras iomlán againn don oideachas, taighde, nuálaíocht agus cúram sláinte in Iarthar na hÉireann.  

Seo mar a labhair Uachtarán OÉ Gaillimh, an tOllamh Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh: “Tá an-áthas orainn ceiliúradh a dhéanamh ar oscailt an Árais Bitheolaíochta Daonna nua. Fágfaidh sé go n-athrófar ó bhonn an timpeallacht foghlama dár mic léinn eolaíochta sláinte.  Agus teacht ag ár mic léinn ar na háiseanna is fearr dá bhfuil ar fáil, cabhrófar leo barr a gcumais a bhaint amach agus tionchar ceart a bheith acu sa réimse a roghnaíonn siad. Tá infheistíocht san oideachas ríthábhachtach dár bhforbairt réigiúnach agus is den riachtanas é go leanfar leis an maoiniú ionas gur ionaid den scoth a bheidh inár n-árais don fhoghlaim, don teagasc agus don taighde. Ní mór dár mic léinn dul in iomaíocht le scoth na mac léinn ar fud an domhain, agus is amhlaidh dúinne."

An Foirgneamh

Foirgneamh cúig stór úrscothach atá san Áras Bitheolaíochta Daonna, agus tá oll-achar urláir 8,200m² ann.  Tá suíomh straitéiseach aige i gcampas theas na hOllscoile, agus tá Ospidéal na hOllscoile, Gaillimh in aice láimhe.

Tógadh an foirgneamh ar shuíomh a raibh forbairt déanta cheana air agus is ann a bhí an Diagnóslann Náisiúnta, mar a bhí, roimhe sin. Is iad na hailtirí, Scott Tallon Walker Architects, a bhfuil go leor duaiseanna bainte acu, a rinne an dearadh ar an bhfoirgneamh i gcomhpháirt leis an ngnólacht deartha idirnáisiúnta, Building Design Partnership, agus is é BAM Building Ltd. a bhí ina chonraitheoir.

Dúirt an tOllamh Timothy O’Brien, Déan Choláiste an Leighis, an Altranais agus na nEolaíochtaí Sláinte in OÉ Gaillimh: Cuirfear timpeallacht foghlama den scoth ar fáil san Áras Bitheolaíochta Daonna don chéad ghlúin eile eolaithe, dochtúirí agus gairmithe cúraim sláinte. Bainfidh acadóirí agus taighdeoirí leas freisin as na háiseanna úrscothacha, rud a chuirfidh le misean teagaisc agus taighde na hOllscoile. Tá struchtúr an fhoirgnimh go hiomlán nua-aoiseach agus cuirfidh sé go mór leis an gcaidreamh idir an fhoireann agus na mic léinn. Tá deiseanna teicniúla agus oibriúcháin ar ardchaighdeán ar fáil ann chomh maith a thacóidh le timpeallacht dhian taighde agus nuálaíochta.  

CRÍOCH