Project Update

Newsletter Issue 22

This Week on Site

Dear Local Residents & Stakeholders, This week we have made positive progress on site as we begin exposing the existing Northland House pile caps. These are the concrete elements that once helped distribute the building’s weight down to the foundations below. Where these conflict with the new building’s foundation system, they are carefully broken out in a controlled manner. Alongside this work, we have continued to remove remaining rubble and redundant plant from site, steadily clearing the area and preparing it for the next stage of construction. Overall, good progress is being made as we move into this important phase of the project. 

Looking Ahead

Next week, work will continue in much the same positive rhythm as we move steadily toward the final stages of the Northland House project. Consistent progress is being made, and the team remains focused on safely completing the remaining works and preparing the site for the next phase.

Ulster University & B Small Contracts Ltd

Project Update

Newsletter Issue 21

This Week on Site

Dear Local Residents & Stakeholders, despite the challenging weather conditions brought by Storm Chandra this week, we are delighted to celebrate the successful completion of the Northland House superstructure demolition. This is a significant landmark achievement for the project team and a major milestone in this phase of the works, marking strong progress across the wider CDHT project.

Looking Ahead

Next week, works will continue with the removal of remaining rubble and materials from site, with waste being carefully segregated and transported to appropriate recycling and disposal facilities. This will allow us to fully clear the site in readiness for the final stage of the demolition, which will involve breaking out the ground floor slab and exposing the existing foundations.

Ulster University & B Small Contracts Ltd

Press Release

Planning Approval Granted for Ulster University’s Transformational Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology. 

Belfast City Council has granted planning approval for the landmark Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology (CDHT), a major new innovation hub that will strengthen Northern Ireland’s position as a global leader in medical technology and digital healthcare. Led by Ulster University and supported through the Belfast Region City Deal, the £40 million project will deliver a bespoke Open Innovation Centre and Community Living Lab on Frederick Street, adjacent to the university’s Belfast campus, alongside dedicated Clinical Living Labs within the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust. 

Together, these facilities will provide end-to-end support to innovators developing next-generation medical technologies, from concept and prototyping through to clinical validation and commercialisation. The Centre will bring together leading expertise across engineering, data science and clinical practice, co-locating academic researchers, clinicians, industry partners and entrepreneurs to accelerate the safe and efficient journey of innovations from the laboratory to patient care Specialist capabilities will include artificial intelligence, surgical robotics, diagnostics, data analytics, design and simulation, imaging and vital signs monitoring.

The CDHT forms a core component of ambitions to establish Belfast as one of the best places in the world to design, develop and launch innovative medical devices and diagnostics, delivering economic growth, high-value employment, enhanced skills development and improved patient outcomes. Professor Paul Bartholomew, Vice-Chancellor of Ulster University said: “This is a step forward in delivering a major development in medtech for Northern Ireland. As a coinvestor, the University welcomes this planning approval, which allows us, with our partners, to progress a transformative project that will strengthen multidisciplinary research, deepen partnerships with the NHS and industry, and provide our students and graduates with exceptional opportunities. CDHT will further establish Belfast and Northern Ireland as a globally recognised centre of excellence for digital healthcare research and innovation and will complement our research and teaching in the School of Medicine in Derry~Londonderry and our Biomedical Sciences Research Institute in Coleraine.” Professor James McLaughlin CBE, Director of the Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology, added: “This is a hugely important milestone for the establishment of the CDHT facility and for the wider life and health sciences sector in Northern Ireland. With planning approval now secured, we can move forward in delivering a truly world-class facility that brings together clinicians, researchers and industry under one roof. CDHT will accelerate innovation, help transform patient care, and ensure that ideas developed here in Belfast can be scaled to make a global impact.”

Professor Brian Meenan, Associate Dean for Research & Innovation, Ulster University, said the decision marked a major step for the Belfast Region City Deal programme: “The approval of planning permission for CDHT is a clear demonstration of the Belfast Region City Deal in action, turning ambition into delivery. This project represents over £40 million of investment in our regional innovation economy and will create a powerful platform for collaboration between universities, industry and healthcare partners. It will drive productivity, attract inward investment and create high-value jobs while placing Belfast at the forefront of digital healthcare innovation.” Economy Minister Dr Caoimhe Archibald added: “Reaching this milestone reflects the commitment of Ulster University and its partners to delivering a cutting edge innovation centre for Life and Health Sciences. Growing this sector is a key priority of mine, and CDHT - one of the flagship Belfast Region City Deal investments - marks an exciting step forward in strengthening digital healthcare and MedTech innovation in the north.”

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Matthew Patrick said: “The Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology will ensure Ulster University, and Northern Ireland, remain at the cutting edge of medical technology innovation. I’m confident that this will lead to better outcomes for students and patients, and it’s great to see this progress on the UK Government’s £34m investment in the Centre, part of our wider £350m investment in the Belfast Region City Deal.& quote; The CDHT ecosystem will operate as a collaborative ‘one-stop shop’ innovation cluster, supporting research collaboration, business development and foreign direct investment while enabling enhanced networking between academia, industry, clinicians, government agencies and patient cohorts. 

Construction at the Frederick Street site is expected to progress following the completion of a formal competitive construction tender process.

Project Update

Newsletter Issue 20

This Week on Site

Dear Local Residents & Stakeholders, work on site has continued at a steady pace and good progress is being made on the final section of the building. The very last part of Section 4 is a particularly delicate phase of the demolition, and recent spells of heavy rain and strong winds have meant this element has taken a little longer than originally hoped. This is because the specialist saw and cherry picker being used require safe, calm conditions to operate.

To make the best use of time during these weather-affected periods, our team has been focusing on clearing and removing rubble from site in advance, helping to keep the project moving efficiently and preparing the area for the next stages of work.

Looking Ahead

Next week is expected to continue much in the same way as this one. We are hoping for a couple of dry, temperate days to allow us to safely complete the final elements of Section 4. In parallel, and whenever weather conditions are less suitable for this specialist work, our team will continue to focus on removing rubble from site, helping to keep the area tidy and prepare the site for the next phase of the project.

Ulster University & B Small Contracts Ltd

What is CDHT?

CDHT is the Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology, a 42 million pound investment as part of the Belfast Region City Deal.

Its goal is simple but ambitious: to make the Belfast City Region a global leader in digital healthcare innovation. CDHT brings together clinicians, researchers, engineers, and industry to design, test, and launch new medical devices and diagnostic technologies, focusing on major health challenges like heart disease, diabetes, respiratory illness, and stroke.

In short, CDHT is about smarter technology, better healthcare, and a healthier future for everyone.