Published on 

Taoiseach opens UCD Centre for Molecular Innovation and Drug Discovery

Taoiseach Enda Kenny today attended the official opening of the new UCD Centre for Molecular Innovation and Drug Discovery.

Speaking at the launch, the Taoiseach said:

Today represents much more than the opening of a building. It is the start of an exciting journey of discovery.

I am delighted that this centre of discovery will be based here in UCD. It will add to Ireland’s growing reputation as a new exciting frontier of scientific discovery and activity. From this centre pioneers in their field will solve problems we didn’t even know existed only a few short years ago.

The new Centre brings together three areas of science:

  • The UCD Centre for Pharmaceutical Sciences researching in the area of drug discovery.
  • The UCD Institute of Food and Health researching the processing of safe and healthy food, functional food, nutrition and sustainable food.
  • The UCD Centre for Nanomedicine – researching the use of nanotechnology to develop new medical technologies.

The Taoiseach spoke of the collaboration between higher education and industry:

Over €35 million has been provided to fund the Centre through the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI). It is a central element to UCD Science Centre redevelopment – Ireland’s most ambitious capital development in the history of third-level education.

This development demonstrates how Government funding can be partnered with other funds in order to build facilities such as this. This is essential in this time of scarce resources as UCD has matched core government funding on a Euro for Euro basis.

I am happy to report that the Government has recently approved the next phase of the development – which will include over 32,000 square metres of new and refurbished accommodation. This is the type of close collaboration between higher education and industry that we need.

Turning discovery into application and application into jobs. All the time strengthening UCD and strengthening Ireland. This Centre is an example of Ireland’s prioritisation of investment in science, research and development.

The Taoiseach concluded:

The range of research projects being undertaken here in UCD on issues such as cancer and drug research is at the forefront of human exploration and discovery. It is genuinely exciting.

That is why we have supported the development of this Science centre which will educate thousands, and probably hundreds of thousands, of science students and researchers in its lifetime.

Today is a great day for UCD and for the future of science in Ireland. May I wish you all the very best of success.

Read the Taoiseach's full speech here.