Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 January 2017
893. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if the children's research and innovation centre, CRIC, (details supplied) is being built by the national paediatric hospital development board; when it is being built; the body which will own it; the body which is paying for it; if it is an integral part of the national children's hospital; if this is provided for in legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41253/16]
View answerExcellence in modern paediatric practice cannot be achieved without an embedded culture of, and focus on, research, education and innovation. The new children’s hospital and satellite centres will be a research-intensive academic healthcare institution. To deliver this vision, the main facilities for research and innovation will be located at the Children’s Research and Innovation Centre (CRIC) on the St James’s campus.
The planning, design and building of the facility will be managed by the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board. The site for CRIC is owned by the HSE. Planning permission has been obtained for this development, which has been designed as a separate building on the St James’s campus located adjacent to existing research facilities in order to optimise campus research synergies. The CRIC facility will be located adjacent to the Institute of Molecular Medicine, a cross university facility which delivers both undergraduate and postgraduate education and has a strong research platform in cancer, infection and immunity and neurosciences. This direct adjacency reflects one of the many and significant opportunities being leveraged by co-locating on the campus with St James’s Hospital, with its rich history in clinical research.
The potential for contribution to the cost of research facilities from the existing children’s research organisations, universities and the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation is to be explored. Commencement of construction of this separate building will be dependent on securing the necessary funding. Preliminary scoping of philanthropic potential, including consultation with international experts, confirms expectations that significant philanthropic funding can be secured for the project at a multiple of the costs of the research and education spaces.
The legislation for the children’s hospital body is currently being developed by my Department and includes authority for children’s research.
