Professor Malachy Ó Néill:

I will deal with the innovation hubs in the first instance. If we look at the City Deal projects that I mentioned earlier, the health research institute, a cognitive analytics research lab and a centre for industrialisation and digitisation of robotics and automation, there is huge potential for spin-offs and for graduate employment. There is also the retention of talent, in particular the retention of graduate talent.

If we think about the geography of our Strand Road location, with which Mr. Eastwood in particular will be familiar, and our proximity to the North West Regional College, we essentially occupy a shared site and a transition point between FE-HE, or further education and higher education. The North West Regional College, like Donegal ETB, plays a really important part in this four-piece partnership.

Regarding the education partnership on that Strand Road site aligned to the innovations base, Mr. Hannigan alluded to Catalyst Inc., in particular. Catalyst is based at Fort George in Derry, which will in time become the location of a major healthcare and medical facility through the development of a Western Health and Social Care Trust facility. That will, in turn, provide significant opportunities for our community medics and trainee healthcare professionals. At the moment, our largest student cohort in Magee is in nursing. Our specialism in nursing is renowned worldwide for consistent outstanding performance in UK and world research terms. It is consistently in the top five or six in UK research and in the 30s in terms of world-leading research in that nursing space.

From 2021, not only will we introduce medical training, but also the first course of its kind in paramedic training. In terms of additional student numbers, healthcare is a huge focus for us and will remain so. By developing that healthcare education piece and supporting it through healthcare research, the capacity for spin-off opportunities is endless in that space.

The question of remote learning came up. Blended learning is something that Ulster University and LYIT have prided themselves on and pioneered development on in the past couple of decades. In reality, we have been engaging in blended or remote learning for some time but the pandemic has forced us all into a gear change in how we participate in and attend to various responsibilities. I am guessing this is the first time somebody has joined a meeting of the committee from Arboe, County Tyrone, and I am delighted to have that honour.

This is a changed world but a world of opportunity and we are incredibly well-placed, speaking in Ulster University-Magee campus terms, in that we have strong representation across all four faculties and each of those faculties is in that period of transition, transformation and development. It is by working with colleagues in LYIT and other partners that we are doing that successfully. Life and health will be transformed in Magee and in Derry through the initiation of the school of medicine and the health research institute. Aligned to that are the paramedic training, the nursing and the successes therein.

I have mentioned the Ulster University business school. We have an existing 15-year shared programme with LYIT in preparation for working in the public sector. We are well down the discussion pathway towards introducing a new programme of cross-Border accountancy, taxation and dealing with challenges around export and excise, particularly in the face of Brexit. That shared approach to business education and business research is well-established at this point.

The cognitive analytics and robotics development will make the north west a powerhouse in research terms and in research-led education in that industry 4.0 space. As a former UK city of culture, the 1,500-year anniversary of the birth of Colmcille gives us a huge opportunity to celebrate the arts, humanities and social science offering at Magee and to further develop our partnership with the Hume foundation, celebrate the success of the Hume and O'Neill Chair in Peace and develop the presence of research and education in that space. That is not to mention my own space, Irish studies. We are well-positioned to develop across myriad academic offerings and will continue to do so with our friends and colleagues in LYIT and our other north-west partners.